Ex-Mets Pitcher Jenrry Mejia Survives Venezuela Earthquake After Elevator Mix-Up

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Jenrry Mejia narrowly escaped death during a powerful earthquake in Venezuela, crediting a peculiar elevator malfunction with saving his life. Mejia, 36, was in his hotel in La Guaira when twin earthquakes struck the region on June 25, 2026.

Mejia had just finished a gym session and was returning to his room when the first quake hit. He entered an elevator, intending to go to the sixth floor. However, according to Mejia's account to Dominican radio show Mañana Deportiva, another person requested the lift, causing it to descend to the ground floor instead of ascending.

"The door opened directly into the lobby. That's when I came out and the building started to collapse," Mejia said. He described the event as "divine intervention," stating that he exited the hotel approximately 40 seconds before the structure crumbled.

Mejia, who plays for the La Guaira Delfines of the Venezuelan Major League, reported assisting an elderly man out of the collapsing hotel. He believes they were the only two survivors from his immediate vicinity, with others trapped under the rubble.

The earthquakes, registered as magnitude-7.2 and 7.5 by the U.S. Geological Survey, struck near San Felipe and Yumare, respectively. The city of La Guaira, located north of the capital Caracas, was among the hardest-hit areas. As of the evening of June 26, 2026, the death toll had risen to at least 235, with more than 1,520 injured. An estimated 70,000 families in the coastal state were affected.

Mejia, a former closer for the New York Mets from 2010 to 2015, lost all his personal belongings, including his passport, in the incident. Flights out of Venezuela were suspended following the disaster, preventing his immediate return to the Dominican Republic.

Mejia's MLB career ended prematurely in February 2016 when he received a lifetime ban for failing his third drug test. He was later reinstated after serving the minimum two-year suspension and played briefly in the Boston Red Sox minor league system and in the Mexican League.