Mysterious deaths near Brooklyn Mirage nightclub spark calls for safety changes

An online letter campaign to the Brooklyn Mirage nightclub is gaining traction as concertgoers express safety concerns following numerous deaths near the venue.

The Google Docs form, with a letter template addressed to Councilwoman Jennifer Gutierrez who represents the area encompassing the venue, has been circulating in social media circles since 1 August.

“As a member of the live music community, I have serious concerns regarding the safety of concert attendees at the Brooklyn Mirage, and it has come to my attention that there is extreme negligence by the venue and their security team regarding the safety of patrons exiting the venue,” the letter states.

The letter also highlights the recent deaths of Karl Clemente and John Castic, both 27-year-old men who mysteriously disappeared near the Brooklyn Mirage. Both men were found dead in the nearby body of water.

The letter cites a number of safety concerns. It alleges that the venue exceeds “capacity by significant numbers,” lack of security surrounding the venue, an absence of well-lit pathways on the way to train stations, “unpermitted drivers posing as rideshares,” and “aggressive club and venue promoters surrounding the area, preying on concert patrons who are under the influence to lure them to follow them to unidentified venues and spaces.”

“Attending a concert should never be accompanied with threats of danger, or worse, death,” the letter states, asking Councilmember Gutierrez to address the aforementioned issues.

“The heartbreaking and preventable deaths of Karl Clemente and John Castic, as well as the reported kidnapping from outside of the Mirage, highlight the need for basic public safety measures and street infrastructure in the East Williamsburg Industrial Business Zone,” she said in a statement to The Independent.

“I always appreciate constituents reaching out, and I’m in agreement with many of the suggestions that constituents have made,” she wrote, and even added an additional issue: lack of cell service.

A former employee at The Brooklyn Mirage previously told The Independent there are a lot of dead zones for cell service inside the building. This could lead to not being able to find your friends, meaning one has to wander out into the unilluminated streets alone, or not being able to connect to a ridesharing app, and instead going into an unmarked cab, as some people online have alleged happens with some frequency.

Ensuring cell service coverage in the area “would require advocacy by the City to cellular carriers. I’m continuing to fight for the critical jobs in manufacturing businesses in the [Industrial Business Zones], while also ensuring that New Yorkers who visit nightlife establishments in the area can stay safe,” the councilmember said.

Ms Gutierrez previously toldThe Independent that a nightclub located in a manufacturing zone, amid warehouses, is not an ideal combination. However, she said, “If people are here, we need to figure out how to make it safer for folks.”

When the venue opened, according to the councilmember, the security used to stand on the route to the nearest train stop to prevent concertgoers from wandering around in the manufacturing district, but due to expenses, the venue stopped providing that service.

The Independent has contacted Avant Gardner—the outdoor complex that includes the Brooklyn Mirage—for comment.

Clemente turned up at the venue on 11 June, but was turned away because staffers, according to his father. After footage was released that allegedly showed Clemente running down Metropolitan Avenue, his father speculated: “Someone was chasing him. There’s something fishy here.”

Clemente’s wallet and phone were not recovered with his body, which was found on 16 June. The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner told The Independent last week that Clemente’s death was still under investigation.

Castic went missing around 2.30am on 29 July after attending a show at the Brooklyn Mirage. Days later, on 1 August, a man called 911 after seeing a “bloated, shirtless body floating face-down.” Castic’s father told the New York Post earlier this month that his son’s “official cause of death is drowning,” after what could have been an allergic reaction to peanuts.