Ex-Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia says ‘divine intervention’ saved him from deadly Venezuela earthquake

LA GUAIRA, VENEZUELA: Former New York Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia believes he is alive because of what he calls "divine intervention" after an unexpected elevator ride brought him to safety just seconds before his hotel collapsed during a devastating earthquake in Venezuela.

The terrifying incident unfolded on Wednesday, June 24, when two powerful earthquakes struck the Caracas region just 39 seconds apart.

Speaking to Dominican sports radio show ‘Manana Deportiva’, Mejia described how a routine trip back to his hotel room turned into a life-saving twist that he says only God could have planned.

Jenrry Mejia says elevator took him to safety instead of his hotel room

Mejia, 36, had just finished working out at the hotel gym and was heading back to his room when the earthquakes struck.

He entered the elevator intending to return to the sixth floor, but another passenger's request changed the lift's direction.

"I was in the gym area. And at that moment, I took the elevator to leave," Mejia recalled. "In fact, I had pressed number six, which was where my floor was. But … I think it was God because instead of going up, it went down to the basement." 

The unexpected stop turned out to be life-changing.

Mejia called it an act of "divine intervention" that brought him to the hotel's exit only moments before disaster struck.

"The door opened directly into the lobby. That's when I came out and the building started to collapse," he said.

According to Mejia, the hotel crumbled roughly 40 seconds after he walked out of the building.

Jenrry Mejia helped another person escape the building

The former major league pitcher said escaping himself was not the only thing on his mind.

As the building came down, he spotted an elderly man struggling to get away and rushed to help him.

"With the agility I have, I helped an elderly gentleman. I was able to drag him away, take him with me," Mejia said.

He believes the two of them were the only people to make it out alive.

"I think only he and I (came out alive), the others are still there, trapped under the rubble," he recalled.

Mejia had been staying in La Guaira, one of the regions hit hardest by the disaster.

Officials estimated that nearly 70,000 families across the coastal state were affected.

"It has become a disaster zone," acting President Delcy Rodriguez said as rescue crews continued searching through collapsed buildings.

Jenrry Mejia says he lost everything after hotel collapsed

Although Mejia escaped with his life, he said he lost all of his belongings when the hotel came down.

Among the items buried in the rubble were his passport and personal possessions, leaving him stranded after flights out of the country were suspended. 

The 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck just seconds apart.

By Thursday night, the death toll had climbed to at least 235 people, while another 1,520 people were reported injured.

Mejia, who spent his entire five-year MLB career with the Mets from 2010 through 2015, later returned to professional baseball after serving a two-year suspension following a lifetime ban that was eventually lifted by Commissioner Rob Manfred.

He briefly signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox before continuing his career with several clubs in the Mexican League.