‘You killed my son - you will pay’: Furious families attack owners of Swiss nightclub where 41 died in New Year’s Eve inferno
Le Constellation co-owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti were hounded by grieving families as they entered court to testify
Furious family members whose loved ones died in an inferno at a Swiss nightclub attacked the owners this morning as they arrived for questioning.
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Jacques and Jessica Moretti arrived at the prosecutors office in Sion and were swarmed by devastated relatives of victims.
The couple, who have blamed a waitress who died in the fire for starting the New Year’s Day blaze, are under judicial supervision following the deadly inferno.
Prosecutors believe the may be a flight risk and they have been ordered to report to a police station every three days.
The blaze, which broke out as revellers welcomed in 2026, killed 41 people and injured 115 at Le Constellation in the ski resort of Crans-Montana.
Relatives of the victims rushed towards Le Constellation's owners on Thursday yelling out insults as pair made their way into court to testify.
Images show the couple being hounded by what has been described as a “mob” of fuming grievers.
Read more: Horror as memorial for victims of Swiss bar fire goes up in flames
“You killed my son, you killed 40 people, you will pay for this,” one family member was heard shouting.
The brother of Trystan Podoux, a 17-year-old victim, allegedly attempted to kick Mrs Moretti after repeatedly asking her to look him in the eye.
Christian Podoux, Trystan’s father, said: “I want Jessica Moretti to know how hard she has hit fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters. She distanced herself, left the Constellation. Others, the young people, helped so much, and she just left. That's not right.”
Tobyas, 14, and Yaelle, 15, the victims’ siblings, were also at the scene with their parents and gathered in the furious crowd waiting to pounce on the Morettis.
“I'm Trystan's little brother, and I came here to show Jessica Moretti that she has destroyed families, to look us in the eye,” Tobyas told reporters.
He added: 'What happened isn't normal. We want justice. Moretti is undoubtedly guilty, as are the municipality of Crans-Montana and the canton of Valais."
Mrs Moretti, 40, looked close to tears as she made her way through the angry crowd, flanked by a singular police officer and her lawyer.
The Moretti’s are facing a slew of charges, including manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.They face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Investigators have said they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling at the packed Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, less than two hours after midnight on January 1.
Authorities are looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar.
🚨🇨🇭 FLASH| Tensions devant la justice suisse : la co-propriétaire du bar « Le Constellation », ravagé par un incendie à Crans-Montana, prise à partie par des familles de victimes. Jessica Moretti et son mari se sont présentés à une nouvelle audition à Sion, où l’accueil a été… pic.twitter.com/mqVUSUJgnO
— Cpasdeslol (@cpasdeslol_X) February 12, 2026
Fire safety inspections had not been carried out since 2019.
The court of compulsory measures in the south-western Valais region on January 12 ordered three months of pre-trial detention for Jacques Moretti, but on January 23 it ordered his release on bail.
Both are considered a flight risk by the Swiss authorities, but have been allowed to stay at home to look after their two children.
They have to wear electronic tags, have had their passports confiscated, and have to report to a police station every three days.
The French nationals are being questioned by prosecutors, and leaked interview records point to them saying, "It’s not us, it’s the others".
The Morettis' defence strategy during some 20 hours of a previous interrogation by three prosecutors was – in particular – to blame waitress Cyane Panine, 24, for getting on to the shoulders of a colleague while branding two champagne bottles with lit sparklers inside.
Cyane, who died in the fire, was wearing a promotional crash helmet, and did not see the pyrotechnics lighting up the bar’s basement ceiling, which was covered in highly inflammable foam.
Ms Panine’s parents that the young waitress was mistreated by the bar’s French owners, left “mentally and physically” exhausted by her work.
According to lawyer Sophie Haenni, Ms Panine was working at both the bar and the couple’s high-end restaurant, often on the same day.
She said: “Her shift began during the day at the Senso restaurant and then continued until the early hours of the morning at the Le Constellation bar.”
Before the blaze, Ms Panine had contacted the workers' protection service over her employment conditions, the lawyer added.
The young waitress was not even supposed to be serving champagne on New Year’s Eve, Ms Haenni claims, but was forced to carry the bottles at the request of the bar’s owners.