Couple's Jersey Shore wedding reception evacuated after venue's floor caves in

"I felt it like drop, and I instantly got off the dance floor," Cassidy Gagliardotto said.

ByToni Yates KABC logo
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Couple's NJ wedding turns to catastrophe after floor caves in
A wedding reception held at the Daymark in Barnegat Light, New Jersey had to be evacuated after the second floor caved in.

BARNEGAT LIGHT, New Jersey -- A couple's perfect wedding day at the Jersey Shore turned into a catastrophe after the second floor of their venue began to cave in.

Cassidy and Brian Gagliardotto had planned for years to make Sept. 17 a night to remember, beginning with a big proposal.

"Totally shocked and wasn't expecting it," the bride Cassidy Gagliardotto told our sister station WABC-TV about the proposal.

"All of her family were on the dunes. I got down on one knee and she said 'yes!' Thank God, and here we are. It's awesome," the groom Brian Gagliardotto said.

Two hundred people gathered Saturday for the ceremony and then it was time to party.

The reception was held at Daymark Bar & Restaurant in Barnegat Light, Ocean County.

"Our DJ just kicked it off and we were like three songs in," Brian Gagliardotto said.

That's when the celebration turned into an evacuation when the second floor of the building started shaking.

"I felt it like drop, and I instantly got off the dance floor," Cassidy Gagliardotto said.

"Luckily we were able to get all our first dances in, all our speeches in," Brian Gagliardotto said.

The Barnegat Light Volunteer Fire Department rushed to the scene to help get everyone out.

Fire officials said the floor did not collapse but caved in.

The fire department thanked the DJ for helping assist the wedding attendees.

"The DJ did an excellent job of announcing to all patrons to safely exit the building after hearing the rumble noise," the department said in a Facebook post.

No injuries were reported.

Daymark will be closed until the building is structurally sound.

As for the new Mr. & Mrs., their wedding celebration was able to continue after those scary moments.

"We knew where my parents were staying and we moved to that location and the party just continued on," Brian Gagliardotto said.

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