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Cops Arrest Club Promoter in Chelsea Nightclub Murder

By DNAinfo Staff on September 29, 2011 7:11am  | Updated on September 29, 2011 7:29am

Manuel Pinero is suspected of fatally stabbing a man outside a Chelsea nightclub on Mon., Sept. 26, 2011, police said.
Manuel Pinero is suspected of fatally stabbing a man outside a Chelsea nightclub on Mon., Sept. 26, 2011, police said.
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NYPD

By Mathew Katz and Olivia Scheck

DNAinfo Reporter/Producers

CHELSEA — Police have made an arrest after a fatal stabbing outside a Chelsea celebrity hotspot earlier this week — a man sources identified as a successful club promoter known as "Manny Stax."

Manuel Pinero, 41, was arrested Wednesday for the murder of Christopher Adames, a 23-year-old father who lived in Washington Heights, police said. Adames was found stabbed down the street from Juliet Supperclub early Monday morning.

Pinero, whom police say lives at 131 Broome St. on the Lower East Side, was an occasional promoter for 1Oak, a popular Chelsea club, sources said.

A representative at 1Oak said the club has not hired Manny Stax as a promoter, but said the club has occasionally used outside promotion companies for parties.

Pinero is apparently known within the nightlife community and, according to an invitation posted to a nightlife blog, he had a large birthday celebration last year at Greenhouse New York at 150 Varick St., featuring DJ Enuff and rapper Joell Ortiz.

A party flyer posted to Facebook showed that Manny Stax had organized another event at Greenhouse in 2009. Greenhouse New York did not respond to requests for comment.

According to the nightlife blog Socially Superlative, Pinero helped organize a party featuring rapper and MTV host Funkmaster Flex in 2009.

Sources said Adames walked out of Juliet nightclub at 539 W. 21st St., a celebrity hotspot where Taye Diggs, LeBron James and other stars were partying that night, and was speaking with two women when a man came up behind him, stabbed him four times, and ran off.

According to nightlife blogger Troy Gordon, Pinero wasn't the only promoter at the club that night. Jessica Rosenblum, a celebrity party organizer, was spotted at James' table, and the Strategic Group's Jon Schwartz was at the party as well, he wrote.

Rosenblum was listed as one of the promoters credited with organizing Sunday's party at Juliet Supperclub, according to the invitation and her blog. She wrote on her blog that she also attended a party with Pinero at Marquee in Chelsea in 2009.

Rosenblum and Schwartz did not return a call for comment.