Mom’s desperate plea as popular Alabama student vanishes from club in Barcelona during spring break
An American student disappeared from a nightclub during a spring break trip in Spain, prompting his desperate mother to issue a plea for help.
Jimmy Gracey, 20 – a junior at the University of Alabama – was visiting friends studying abroad in Barcelona.
He was last seen by a friend on Tuesday around 3am local time at beachfront nightclub Shôko, according to his mother Therese Gracey.
His friend left the club but Gracey stayed. He has not been seen since.
Therese issued an urgent plea for help in the search for her missing son yesterday morning in a Facebook post.
‘The police have his phone but he never made it back to his Airbnb,’ Therese wrote.
She pleaded with anyone who may have seen him to come forward and contact her.
Gracey was wearing a white t-shirt and dark pants, likely joggers, as well as a gold chain with a rhinestone cross when he disappeared.
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American student Jimmy Gracey, 20, went missing during a trip to Barcelona. His mother Therese Gracey said he was last seen with a friend
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Gracey’s last appearance was around 3am local time at the nightclub Shôko, according to his mother
Therese said she did not know exactly what happened to her son’s phone.
‘What we’ve put together is that his phone was stolen and the police just happened to pick the guy who stole it up,’ she wrote.
She claimed that law enforcement had discovered Gracey’s phone ‘when they searched the guy.’
However, Therese added that police had not shared details with the family.
Gracey’s father, Taras, has already traveled to Spain, according to All Alabama. Therese will likely join him soon.
Shôko is a bustling beachfront nightclub along Barcelona’s La Barceloneta seaside neighborhood, known for its Mediterranean views and popular among locals and visitors.
It has been ranked the seventh best nightclub in the world by Nightlife International.
Gracey was staying at an Airbnb on Ronda de Sant Pere, one of the city’s main roads.
The distance from Shôko to his tourist apartment is roughly three kilometers. He never made it back from the club, his mother said.
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Gracey is a junior at the University of Alabama who was visiting friends that are studying abroad
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Family members said Gracey had been in Amsterdam over the weekend and got to Barcelona on Monday morning
Gracey’s disappearance is being investigated by the Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalonia’s police force.
‘We are conducting the initial checks and have taken a report in an open investigation,’ a statement issued to NBC Chicago read.
‘A call was received early yesterday morning, around 1:00 AM, reporting a possible disappearance,’ police added.
‘The disappearance was reported to have occurred on March 17, 2026, at 3:00 AM, in the Port Olímpic area.’
On Thursday morning, the Catalan police force told the Daily Mail that it had activated its marine and underwater units around the Vila Olímpica area.
The investigation into Gracey’s disappearance has been ongoing since Tuesday morning.
Shôko said it did not have any additional information about Gracey’s whereabouts, according to Spanish outlet El Español.
Surveillance footage from the nightclub that covered Monday night into Tuesday morning, when Gracey apparently vanished, has been preserved.
The club told law enforcement that it would provide the footage and any other relevant details needed in their investigation.
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Barcelona nightclub Shôko is known for its stunning seaside views has been ranked the seventh best nightclub in the world
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Gracey’s disappearance is being investigated by Catalonia’s police force, known as the Mossos d’Esquadra
Gracey was in Amsterdam over the weekend and arrived in Barcelona on Monday morning, according to family members.
He is from the Elmhurst suburb of Chicago, Illinois, but attends the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where he is part of the Theta Chi fraternity.
A post from November said he had been elected onto the brotherhood’s executive board as a chaplain.
The University of Alabama, via a spokesperson, said: ‘James Paul Gracey is a UA student on a personal trip.
‘UA staff are in touch with the family and those associated with them to offer support and assistance in any way possible.’
Gracey is described as standing about 6-foot-1 and weighing approximately 175 pounds.
The Daily Mail has contacted Gracey’s mother Therese and the Catalan police for further comment.
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