Swiss ski resort fire witness describes horror scene
The owner of the Swiss bar that descended into a deadly blaze on New Year’s Eve has been arrested and dubbed a “flight risk” by the authorities.
Along with his wife Jessica, Jacques Moretti, 49, now faces a criminal manslaughter investigation following a horror incident at Switzerland’s upmarket Crans-Montana ski resort on New Year’s Day. As revellers welcomed in 2026, a nightmarish fire broke out, said to have been caused by sparklers placed in champagne bottles.
Tragically, some 40 people lost their lives after the blaze tore through the bar, while 119 individuals suffered serious burns. The Morettis are now under criminal investigation for manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence.
The manager of the doomed Le Constellation bar is alleged to have a string of criminal convictions to his name. He was allegedly previously convicted of pimping by a criminal court in Annecy, southern France, back in 2008, and Mr Moretti previously served time behind bars in the southeast of France in connection with the ‘Hot Rabbit’ sex worker case. Sébastien Fanti, counsel for those wounded in the fire who remain in hospital, said of Mr Moretti: “He’s a shady character whose practices raise questions.”
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Jacques Moretti (L) and Jessica Moretti and under investigation following the horror incident(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
As reported by Le Parisien, Mr Moretti was convicted in a case which involved recruiting young French women as sex workers for a Geneva-based massage parlour, the ‘Hot Rabbit Rendezvous’. This establishment was reportedly raided by Swiss officers in 2008, following a tip-off from French colleagues.
The publication claims: “He is known for pimping cases dating back some twenty years, as well as for a kidnapping and confinement case.” Meanwhile, quoting a legal source, national radio network RTL, reported: “The Corsican-born man…was imprisoned in Savoie in 2005, for involvement in cases of pimping, fraud, kidnapping, and false imprisonment.”
The conviction for ‘proxénétisme aggravé’ – aggravated pimping – saw him accused of putting up the women in an apartment he rented, setting the rates they would charge, and controlling the number of clients they would see, the Daily Mail reports. Moretti’s phone was reportedly tapped during the investigation and the court heard he was an “intermediary” who exploited and financially benefitted from the prostitution of others, as well as procuring women in massage parlours in Switzerland.
Jessica (right) with Sasha Baron-Cohen in a promotional stunt for his move ‘The Dictator'(Image: Getty Images)
Moretti, then 32, categorically denied the charges when arrested, admitting only to having managed the massage parlour for three months under the name of a Swiss pimp – which is not illegal under Swiss law. But for his recruitment activities in France, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison, eight of which were suspended, for inciting prostitution.
According to newspaper L’Est Republican, that meant four months’ imprisonment for offences dating back to 2005. In 2010, the Corsican man is reported to have got in even more trouble with the law, when he was allegedly handed a two-year sentence for social security fraud.
The couple, who both hail from Corsica, are reported by insiders to have chosen to move to Switzerland because of Jacques’ troubled legal history. “They don’t ask too many questions in Switzerland. He was often in serious trouble in France, so Switzerland was an obvious place to set up,” the Daily Mail quoted a source as saying.
Jessica studied business at university(Image: LinkedIn)
They then opened their bar, which was described as an “elegant space” with a “festive atmosphere” on the Crans-Montana website, in December 2015. It’s believed that it was also one of few bars in the ski resort that allowed revellers who are 16 and over inside rather than having to be 18.
The publication reports that customers as young as 14 were often welcomed into Le Constellation bar. But this was not Mr. Moretti’s first foray into nightlife by any means. He is reported to have started working in hospitality after leaving school in the luxurious port city of Bonifacio in Corsica, and opened his own nightclub called Lollapalooza back in 2009.
In 2014, Lollapalooza shut its doors, and Jacques, with his girlfriend Jessica in tow, headed for pastures new in Switzerland. Jessica, a former model and actress, who once worked with Sasha Baron-Cohen in a promotional stunt for his move ‘The Dictator’ studied business at university, and is alleged by to have been seen running from the deadly blaze in Le Constellation bar, clutching the cash register.
The blaze spread quickly(Image: Tim Merry)
The couple are reported to have renovated the bar themselves, turning it from a lower-key cafe bar space into a glamorous nightclub. Photos from their journey to renovate Le Constellation, since deleted, were once available on social media, and including imagery of the narrow staircase that revellers were forced to try and use to flee the blaze on New Year’s Eve.
Jacques was reportedly dubbed ‘Le Corse’ (The Corsican) by locals in the Crans-Montana resort, a nickname he enjoyed as he roamed around the area in his lavish Bentley car. The pair are said to have spent £2.7 million on property in the last few years, including a home in the French Riviera and one in Lens. Questions have also been raised about how the couple managed to pay high rent for the bar for seven years, £37,000 per month, before reportedly buying it outright in 2022.
Prosecutors believe the blaze started in the bar’s basement when champagne bottles with party sparklers attached were raised too close to sound insulation foam on the ceiling. Experts have suggested that what appeared to be highly-flammable foam may have caused a “flashover”, caused when materials ignite simultaneously and the entire room erupts at once.
Stunned partygoers were seen inside the bar after it caught fire, with the flames quickly leaping across the ceiling after they ignited on 1 January. (Image: Tim Merry)
The ongoing investigation will be looking at the responsibilities of both the bar owners and the authorities, who have admitted that no fire safety inspections had been conducted at the bar since 2019. The couple are also reported to own a burger bar, La Senso, which they opened in 2020, and a Corsican themed restaurant, Le Vieux Chalet in Lens, which opened its doors in 2023.
Ironically, Jessica’s father and uncle are both former firefighters, and a source close to the family has been reported as saying, “Her father and other relatives are highly respected firefighters in the south of France. Protecting people from fire is part of family tradition.” Her father was formerly senior fire chief in Cannes and is the president of a charitable firefighters society in the city. For his part, Jessica’s uncle has dedicated his life to ensuring fire safety and education, working a firefighter and recruiting volunteer firefighters in a rural area.
The couple arriving for a hearing(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
She said after she was interviewed by authorities, “It’s an unimaginable tragedy. We never could have imagined this. I want to apologise. My thoughts are constantly with the victims, and with the people who continue to fight [for their lives].” The couple have denied any wrongdoing, but Jessica must check in with the police on every third day, and has been forced to wear an electronic tag.
Speaking publically for the first time since the tragedy, Mr Moretti, 49, said: “We can neither sleep nor eat, we are all very unwell… Everything had been done according to regulation. We will do everything we can to help clarify the causes. We are doing everything in our power. Our lawyers are also involved.”
The dad, who lives with 40-year-old Jessica on the French island of Corsica, spoke to Swiss publication 20 Minuten, which says the club was quickly consumed after flames spread. It was packed with revellers from all over the world at the time, including young people on holiday to celebrate the turn of the year.
Beatrice Pilloud, the attorney general for the Valais region, said: “We assume that the fire originated from sparklers attached to champagne bottles. From there, the ceiling caught fire. We are also looking at what materials were used. The issue of emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and the bar’s occupancy is also being investigated.”
The investigation continues.
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