Tragic last phone call between TOWIE restaurant bouncer and his wife before his death is revealed
The widow of the doorman who died following an alleged attack on former TOWIE star Elliott Wright’s Spanish restaurant has claimed he called her to say he was concerned about the number of drunk patrons there.
Romina Acuna says she took the call from her Venezuelan-born husband Jose Rafael Pisani Pardo, 55, on Saturday night, just half an hour before he suffered the devastating head injury that resulted in his death in hospital a day later.
Revealing Jose’s tragic last call, Romina told Sur, “He said he’d be home soon.
“I told him I wanted him to come as soon as possible. But he never came back.’
Father-of-three Elliott, meanwhile, shared a heartfelt tribute to his late employee on social media, confirming that he had temporarily closed his restaurant Olivia’s La Cala.
“I am absolutely devastated at the loss of Jose – he was a dear friend and colleague. The whole team is mourning a great human being and I support them… This will take a long time to get over, if it ever happens,” said the former reality star.
Elliott added that the bar had been vandalized in the days following Jose’s death, which he said left him “in total disbelief.”
A 32-year-old British man was arrested on Tuesday in the upmarket resort of Marbella on the Costa del Sol because of the death.
Recently married Romina Acuna (right) speaks out about her concerns about the safety of working at Oliva’s entertainment venue after the tragic murder of her husband, doorman Jose Pisani (left)
Widow Romina with her late husband Jose Pisani Pardo on their wedding day in Vegas
Olivia’s La Cala owner Elliott Wright (right) shared a heartfelt tribute to Jose on social media (left)
Elliott added that the bar had been vandalized in the days following Jose’s death, which he said left him ‘in total disbelief’
Chilean-born Italian Romina was 23 years younger than her partner, whom she married five months ago in a glitzy ceremony in Las Vegas.
She told the respected Malaga newspaper Sur today that the couple planned to start a family and set up a new business in the Canary Islands selling sports supplements.
She also revealed that he was “scared” because there were a lot of drunk customers and she responded by telling him to be careful.
Romina said he planned to quit his job as a porter after the summer. “He didn’t like working nights, but in the summer he paid well and for a night like last weekend he could earn 150 euros.”
Police released images on Tuesday showing how heavily armed officers handcuffed the arrested British man to a waiting car.
He has not been named and has so far been identified only by his initials – HGJS.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard said: ‘In relation to the death of a person following an attack, the Guardia Civil in Mijas with the support of the GAR unit has arrested the alleged author in Marbella.
He is a British national and has been on the run since the incident.
“He has been arrested on suspicion of causing the death of the person who lost his life after the incident in a restaurant in La Cala de Mijas.”
Late Monday, insiders confirmed that police were on the hunt for a British man amid unconfirmed reports that Jose, a bodybuilder and personal trainer and a doorman at Elliott’s popular Costa del Sol eatery called Olivia’s La Cala, had been pushed or beaten and lost his balance as he tried to restore calm.
Father-of-three Elliott closed his restaurant in the resort of La Cala de Mijas for two days on Monday, admitting in a statement on Olivia’s Instagram site: “Our hearts are broken and we have closed the restaurant today and tomorrow out of respect.
“We support our staff and family pending news of further investigation.”
The dead man was a proud father of two adult children, believed to be from a previous relationship.
A British man has been arrested over the death of a bouncer during a scuffle at former TOWIE star Elliott Wright’s troubled Spanish restaurant
Police officers led the unknown man away handcuffed
The restaurant today posted a statement on Instagram to pay tribute to Mr Pardo
Jose Rafael Pisano Pardo (pictured left) was knocked unconscious and evacuated in serious condition to a hospital in Málaga, Spain, where he was admitted to intensive care
Romina Acuna described her new fitness enthusiast as the “love of my life” in an emotional social media post after they got married and posed for photos before stepping into a white stretch limo.
She moved to Mijas on the Costa del Sol in early 2021 from her previous base in Barcelona and the couple enjoyed a holiday together in Chile before tying the knot.
Officers took down CCTV footage of Elliott’s eatery, which was destroyed in an arson attack two years ago and was the target of spray-paint vandals Monday night, after questioning staff the day Jose died in hospital.
He had been admitted to the intensive care unit of Malaga University Hospital early Sunday morning.
He’s been working as a doorman at Olivia’s La Cala for the past two years.
The results of an autopsy believed to have taken place on Monday have not been revealed and are not expected to be officially made public, instead being sent to an investigating judge who is leading an ongoing inquest into Jose’s death.
Local reports say the doorman hit his head on the corner of a table when he tried to intervene in a scuffle.
But well-placed sources said he hit the back of his head directly on the floor and not a table, saying he went down trying to dismiss one of the unruly patrons.
One said: ‘The local reports speak of a group of people fighting, but it was between two people.
“The porter fell down trying to send one of the two men away.”
Diario Sur reported today that CCTV footage obtained by police shows a man beating Jose after he broke away from him after trying to restrain him following an outbreak of violence at the restaurant.