Strip Club Employees Encouraged Fight Before 19-Year-Old NJ Man Died: Lawsuit

PLEASANTVILLE, NJ — The family of a man found dead after disappearing from a Pleasantville strip club say the club's employees contributed to his death, according to a lawsuit.

Irving Mayren-Guzman's family filed a civil lawsuit against the owners of Centerfolds Cabaret and several employees. The family also named three suspects in his death as defendants in the lawsuit, which is filed in Atlantic County.

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Mayren-Guzman, 19, was reported missing January 23 after going to the business on Delilah Road. A volunteer found his body in a marshy area near the club two days later. He was a resident of Egg Harbor Township.

According to court documents, Centerfolds employees allowed Mayren-Guzman to enter the club, even though he was under 21. He was told he had to purchase a minimum of $25 in alcohol as part of the entry.

Mayren-Guzman exhausted the $25 minimum purchase requirement and was permitted to purchase intoxicating beverages beyond the minimum amount,” his family wrote in the lawsuit. He drank for about two hours.

Then, according to the lawsuit, club employees escorted him outside around 3:30 a.m. Mayren-Guzman was not dressed properly to be outside. Three individuals whom the lawsuit said "purportedly" have "some affiliation with the club" began punching and kicking him while he was laying in the parking lot. Club employees "allowed and witnessed the assault and took no action to intervene and stop the brutal attack," documents say.

Then, club employees blocked Mayren-Guzman from going back into the club or walking towards the car he arrived in, the lawsuit says.

"Despite being fully aware that Irving was under the influence of alcohol, was ill-prepared for the harsh winter environment, was not in possession of his cell phone, was potentially injured from he assault they either orchestrated or permitted to occur, and was impaired both physically and mentally as a result of their conduct, they did nothing to aid, assist, or protect Irving," the lawsuit reads.

The family is seeking a jury trial and unspecified monetary relief.

Mayren-Guzman's family also alleges the marshlands around Centerfolds' property should be fenced off, and is dangerous.

Pleasantville officials voted to close the nightclub in late February.

A fundraiser has been established via GoFundMe for Mayren-Guzman's funeral arrangements.

"Irving was a joyful, kind, caring, honest, loving young man," a loved one wrote on the fundraising site. "He was young yet determined; he had already decided what his passion and dream was. Irving was an aspiring barber and wanted nothing more than to succeed in his trade."