Spanish fashion giant Mango’s late founder’s son, Jonathan Andic, was arrested on Tuesday, May 19, in connection with his father’s death in 2024. Isak Andic, who founded Mango in the mid-1980s, tragically passed away in December 2024 at the age of 71. The incident occurred while he and his son were hiking in the Montserrat mountains near Barcelona, where he fell into a 320-foot deep ravine.
There have been conflicting reports about whether the father and son were alone or if other family members were present during the incident. However, the police later confirmed reports from the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that only Jonathan was at the scene when the retail tycoon fell to his death.
The Mossos d’Esquadra, the police force of Catalonia, confirmed that Jonathan had been detained. The Barcelona High Court spokesperson stated on Tuesday that the case is currently under investigation as a homicide. Jonathan had previously vehemently denied any responsibility for his father’s death.
A spokesperson for the Andic family told Reuters that they firmly believe in Jonathan’s innocence and that he is fully cooperating with the authorities. According to La Vanguardia, Catalan investigators initially closed the case in early 2025 due to a lack of criminal evidence but reopened it later in the year due to inconsistencies in Jonathan’s testimony.
Shortly after 11:00 local time on Tuesday, Jonathan, 45 years old, was taken from his home for further questioning by the police. He later appeared in court in Martorell, a suburb of Barcelona, and was released on bail after paying 1 million euros (approximately 1.16 million dollars). The judge also ordered Jonathan to surrender his passport and report to the court weekly.
Jonathan joined Mango in 2005 and was later responsible for overseeing the company’s men’s collection. Following his father’s death, he became the Vice-Chairman of the Mango Board. Isak, who was born in Turkey, founded Mango in 1984, turning it into a global powerhouse that competes with Zara under Inditex as a leader in the Spanish fashion industry. The company achieved double-digit growth last year, with sales reaching 3.8 billion euros (about 4.4 billion dollars).
According to Forbes, Isak’s net worth was around 4.5 billion dollars at the time of his death.