Cops Detain Man After Deadly New Year’s Swiss Blaze: REPORT

Swiss authorities reportedly apprehended the co-owner of a bar where 40 people died in a New Year’s Eve fire.

Prosecutors in Sion detained Jacques Moretti on Friday after a lengthy hearing, sources told Swiss newspaper 24 Heures. The Public Prosecutor’s Office reportedly cited possible flight risk as the reason for the detention. Moretti, a 49-year-old French citizen from Corsica, could flee to France, which does not extradite its own nationals, according to prosecutor Catherine Seppey.

She also pointed to his history of moving between areas of France and Switzerland over the years, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Migrant Mobs Rampage Through European Cities In New Year’s Eve Chaos)

The arrest reversed course from just five days earlier. On Jan. 4, Valais police said detention criteria had not been met and there was no indication Moretti intended to flee, according to a press release.

Authorities accused Moretti and his wife and co-owner, Jessica, of negligent homicide, negligent bodily injury and negligent arson, 24 Heures reported. Jessica reportedly must wear an electronic monitoring bracelet and speak with cops every three days. The couple operated Le Constellation since 2015 and purchased the bar in 2022.

First victims of ski resort bar fire identified by police as four Swiss nationals, including two 16-year-olds https://t.co/LVUaEjl7Ep

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) January 3, 2026

The Morettis denied wrongdoing in a statement, saying they were “devastated and overwhelmed with grief” and pledging full cooperation with authorities, The Guardian reported.

The fire began when staff held sparkler-topped champagne bottles too close to a supposedly foam-covered ceiling in the basement, authorities said. A social media image seemingly captured a female server sitting on a male colleague’s shoulders with a sparkler bottle moments before the fire ignited. She died in the blaze.

Crans-Montana Mayor Nicolas Féraud admitted the town had not inspected the bar since 2019 despite yearly inspections being required under law, according to The Guardian. “We’re profoundly sorry, and I know how hard that will be for the families,” Féraud said.

Attorneys representing victims’ relatives accused detectives of moving too slowly. Swiss lawyers Romain Jordan and Ronald Asmar alleged the bar owners deactivated the establishment’s social media accounts while firefighters battled the blaze.

The fire killed 40 people, mostly teenagers and young adults from Switzerland, France and Italy, authorities said. Another 116 suffered injuries and 83 remain hospitalized with severe burns. A witness said the entire nightclub was engulfed within seconds once the ceiling caught fire.