BARNEGAT LIGHT, NJ – Reports of a collapsed building at a wedding reception hall in Barnegat Township are unfounded after being spread on social media and multiple breaking news apps overnight.
At around 8 p.m. on Saturday, the Daymark restaurant was evacuated after fears of a partial collapse. At the time of the evacuation, a wedding reception was being held when a single-floor joist in the building snapped.
That broken joist caused concern to the proprietor, who ordered the evacuation out of concern for the safety of the guests.
“As many of you already know, we were dispatched to Daymark last night for reports of a collapse of the second floor,” the Barnegat Light Fire Department said today. “The floor did not collapse but caved in, resulting in the structure being unsafe for the meantime.”
There were no injuries reported in the incident.
“The DJ did an excellent job of announcing to all patrons to safely exit the building after hearing the rumble noise,” the department said.
After false reports were issued on social media and spread, a bartender at the reception quickly provided a first-person account of the incident.
“I was one of the bartenders at Daymark tonight. The ceiling did not collapse. There was a floor joist that snapped causing the ceiling to be vulnerable to collapsing and everybody was told to leave the building to be sure everybody’s safety,” said Diego Guzman.