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Puerto Rican Social Club fire

1970s crimes in New York City1970s in the Bronx1976 crimes1976 disasters in the United States1976 fires
1976 in New York City1976 murders in the United States20th-century mass murder in the United StatesArson in New York (state)Arson in the 1970sAttacks on buildings and structures in 1970Attacks on buildings and structures in the United StatesBuilding fires in New York CityCrimes in the BronxDisasters in the BronxFire disasters involving barricaded escape routesFires in New York CityMass murder in New York (state)Mass murder in New York CityMass murder in the United StatesMassacres in 1976Massacres in the United StatesMorrisania, BronxMurder in New York CityNightclub firesOctober 1976 events in the United StatesUse American English from July 2022Use mdy dates from July 2022

A fire broke out shortly after 2:30am on October 24, 1976, at the Puerto Rican Social Club in the Bronx, New York City, as a result of arson. Jose Antonio Cordero, reportedly either a jealous lover or enraged family member of a woman attending the club, offered two teenagers, Francisco Mendez and Hector Lopez, rum and marijuana in exchange for setting fire to the club. Mendez poured gasoline around the property, while Lopez set it alight. The fire spread quickly, and club patrons found the fire escape blocked by a metal door that had been installed to prevent burglaries. The fire killed 25 patrons and injured 24 others. Cordero pleaded guilty to arson, Mendez pleaded guilty to 25 counts of murder, and Lopez received a life sentence for striking the match.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Puerto Rican Social Club fire (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Puerto Rican Social Club fire
Morris Avenue, New York The Bronx

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N 40.829046 ° E -73.916814 °
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Morris Avenue 1001
10456 New York, The Bronx
New York, United States
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