'It's Not Us': Swiss Bar Owners Blame Deceased Waitress For Deadly New Year Blaze

Last Updated:January 28, 2026, 19:44 IST

The couple, facing charges of homicide, injuries, and arson by negligence, placed the blame on 24-year-old waitress Cyane Panine.

The January 1 fire killed 40 people, mostly teenagers, and injured over 100 others. (Image via X)

The owners of a Swiss resort bar where 40 people died on New Year’s Eve have shocked the public by blaming their helmet-wearing waitress for sparking the deadly fire — a blaze that also claimed her life.

Jacques Moretti, 49, and his wife, Jessica Moretti, 40, appeared in court last week over the tragedy at Le Constellation nightclub in Crans-Montana.

When questioned by prosecutors about responsibility for the inferno, the couple reportedly said, “It’s not us, it’s the others," according to French local media report.

The couple, facing charges of homicide, injuries, and arson by negligence, placed the blame on 24-year-old waitress Cyane Panine. Jacques Moretti said Panine, wearing a black motorcycle helmet, had climbed onto a co-worker’s shoulders while holding two flaming champagne bottles topped with pyrotechnic “magic fountains."

“I didn’t forbid her from doing that," he told the court. “I didn’t make her aware of any safety instructions. We didn’t see the danger. Cyane enjoyed doing it. It was a show, she loved performing."

Jessica Moretti added that the young waitress “liked to deliver these bottles, she did it of her own accord." She insisted that, in ten years of running the business, she never imagined the stunt could pose a risk, the New York Post reported.

Panine’s family have strongly denied the accusations, saying she was sent from another restaurant by the owners and instructed to remain on the ground floor. Her parents called her as “spontaneous, radiant and full of heart" and lamented that she “paid the ultimate price for trusting people without suspicion."

Survivors and family members have also alleged that the Morettis encouraged the stunt that night, providing the helmet and bottles.

The January 1 fire killed 40 people, mostly teenagers, and injured over 100 others. Investigators believe the sparkling candles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling, which was covered with soundproofing material.

If convicted, the Morettis could face up to 20 years in prison for their alleged negligence.

News world 'It's Not Us': Swiss Bar Owners Blame Deceased Waitress For Deadly New Year Blaze

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