Jenrry Mejia shouldn't be here. If things went according to his plan on Wednesday afternoon, the former New York Mets pitcher would've been on the sixth floor of Hotel Eduard's in Macuto, a coastal town just outside Caracas. Instead, a random, glitchy elevator ride saved his life.
When a massive double-earthquake hit Venezuela, tearing through cities and triggering widespread panic, Mejia was right in the bulls-eye. The back-to-back tremors, measuring a staggering 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, hit within 39 seconds of each other. The catastrophic event has left at least 235 people dead and thousands missing. The hotel Mejia was staying in collapsed into a pile of rubble.
The story of how he got out sounds like a Hollywood script. Honestly, it's hard to process how a split-second mechanical fluke can mean the difference between life and death.
When the Wrong Elevator Button Saves Your Life
Mejia, who currently plays for the Delfines de La Guaira in the Venezuelan summer league, had just wrapped up a workout in the hotel gym. He stepped into the elevator and pressed six, heading back to his room.
But the elevator didn't go up.
Because someone else on a lower level had called for it, the lift headed down to the basement lobby instead. Mejia was annoyed at first. He just wanted to get to his room. But the moment the doors slid open into the lobby, the ground buckled.
The building began to pancake.
"I think it was God," Mejia said during an interview with Dominican sports radio show Manana Deportiva. "Instead of going up, it went down."
He didn't have minutes to react. He had about 40 seconds. As the walls cracked and chunks of concrete started raining down, Mejia relied on his athletic instincts. Amidst the blinding dust and screaming, he spotted an elderly man struggling to move. He grabbed the man, dragged him through the crumbling lobby, and sprinted out the front doors into the street.
Moments later, the upper floors of Hotel Eduard's collapsed entirely.
The Devastation at Hotel Eduard's
Mejia and the man he saved might be among the very few who made it out of that specific building. The aftermath is grim. The hotel was a hub for professional baseball players and their families, who were in town for the Liga Mayor de Beisbol Profesional season.
Right now, the sports community in Venezuela is in a state of absolute shock. While Mejia escaped, others weren't so lucky. Reports indicate that the family members of several prominent baseball figures are still unaccounted for. The wife and daughter of former MLB player Eliezer Alfonzo, as well as the wife of former big-leaguer Gorkys Hernandez, are currently among the missing.
Imagine standing in the street, covered in white dust, watching the building you slept in the night before vanish. Mejia lost everything he had with him. His clothes, his wallet, his passport—all buried under tons of concrete.
But he's alive.
A Country in Crisis
The scale of this disaster goes way beyond the sports world. Venezuela is currently facing a massive humanitarian emergency. The double-shocks didn't just rattle Caracas and La Guaira; they shattered infrastructure across the state of Carabobo and the surrounding coastal regions.
The international airport is shut down. Flights are grounded, which means Mejia can't even leave the country to get back to his native Dominican Republic. He's stuck in a disaster zone with nothing but the clothes on his back.
The situation on the ground is fluid and terrifying:
- The death toll has already climbed past 235 people.
- Over 4,300 injuries have been reported by health officials.
- An estimated 50,000 people remain missing as rescue teams dig through collapsed structures.
- Interim President Delcy Rodriguez has declared a formal state of emergency.
The disaster is severe enough that the US military's Southern Command has arrived on the ground to assist with search, rescue, and aid distribution. Heavy machinery is being deployed to clear the debris, but time is running out for anyone still trapped beneath the ruins.
What to Do if You are Trapped in an Earthquake Zone
When an earthquake strikes, your environment dictates your survival strategy. It's easy to panic, but knowing the right steps can keep you alive. If you ever find yourself in an active earthquake zone or a structural collapse, execute these immediate safety actions.
Drop, Cover, and Hold On
If you're inside a building that starts shaking, don't try to run outside. Most injuries happen when people try to move during the shaking. Drop to your hands and knees. Cover your head and neck under a sturdy piece of furniture, like a heavy table or desk. Hold on until the shaking stops.
Avoid Elevators Completely
Mejia's story is a statistical anomaly, a genuine fluke. In a real earthquake, never use an elevator. Power grids fail instantly, wires snap, and cabs get trapped between floors. If you're in an elevator when shaking begins, press every floor button immediately and get out as soon as the doors open.
Protect Your Airways
If a building collapses around you, dust will fill the air quickly. This can asphyxiate you before rescue teams even locate you. Protect your nose and mouth with a shirt, scarf, or cloth. Try to breathe through your nose to filter out heavy particles.
Signal, Don't Scream
If you're trapped under rubble, avoid shouting continuously. Shaking structures fill your lungs with dust, and screaming drains your energy quickly. Tap on pipes, walls, or metal structures in rhythmic intervals. Rescue teams use sensitive audio equipment to listen for signs of life. Shout only when you hear rescue workers directly above you.
