Jonathan Andic is under investigation after his father, Isak Andic, died during a 2024 hike near Barcelona.
MADRID, SPAIN — Jonathan Andic, the son of Mango founder Isak Andic, posted 1 million euros in bail Tuesday after his arrest in a renewed homicide investigation into his father’s fatal cliff fall near Barcelona.
The arrest marks a sharp turn in a case first treated as a mountain accident. Isak Andic, 71, died in December 2024 while hiking with his son in the Montserrat area of Catalonia. Jonathan Andic, 45, was the only witness. Spanish authorities closed the first inquiry within weeks, then reopened it in March 2025. Police later confirmed they were examining the death as a possible homicide.
Jonathan Andic was taken to a court in Martorell, an eastern Spanish city where the case is being handled. After he answered questions from his lawyer, a judge set bail, which was posted shortly afterward. He has not been charged. A family spokesperson said the investigation gives Jonathan Andic “an opportunity to prove his innocence.” His lawyer has denied wrongdoing and rejected the homicide theory as unfounded.
Isak Andic fell about 150 meters, or about 500 feet, from a cliff during the Dec. 14, 2024, outing. Police and emergency crews responded to the mountain area after the fall. At the time, the death was described publicly as an accident involving a difficult trail near the Salnitre caves of Collbató, a known area in the Montserrat mountain range northwest of Barcelona.
A judge’s pretrial writ later said investigators had found evidence that raised doubts about the first account of the fall. Judge Raquel Nieto Galvan wrote that there was enough evidence to suggest the death may not have been accidental and that Jonathan Andic may have played an “active and premeditated” role. The writ cited what investigators described as contradictions in statements made to emergency services and police.
The judge also pointed to alleged tension between father and son over money and the family business. According to the writ, witnesses said the relationship worsened after Isak Andic reduced some of Jonathan Andic’s responsibilities at Mango years earlier. The judge also cited WhatsApp messages that she said showed resentment toward his father. Jonathan Andic told the judge that his father had taken back some power at Mango but denied that it caused personal or professional hostility.
Investigators also examined the route and the scene of the fall. The writ said tracking data showed Jonathan Andic’s car had been near the hiking site several times in the days before the outing, though he had said he had visited only once in the weeks before his father’s death. Police simulations also found that the footprint at the scene and the way the body fell did not fit a simple slip, according to the judge’s account.
The court filing said Isak Andic’s phone was found in his pocket and had not been used to take photos at the place where he fell, even though Jonathan Andic had told police his father stopped there to take pictures. Investigators also noted that Jonathan Andic changed phones after the case was reopened, saying the earlier phone had been stolen during a trip to Quito, Ecuador. The lost phone data remains one of the unanswered issues in the inquiry.
The case has drawn attention because of the Andic family’s place in Spain’s business world. Isak Andic was born in Istanbul and moved with his family to Spain when he was young. He opened Mango’s first store in Barcelona in 1984 with his brother, Nahman Andic. The company grew from a local fashion business into one of Europe’s largest fast fashion groups, with stores and online sales across much of the world.
Mango reported nearly 3.8 billion euros in 2025 revenue, a 13% increase from the previous year. The company says it has more than 2,900 points of sale in more than 120 markets. Jonathan Andic and his two sisters control most of the family’s ownership stake, while Toni Ruiz, Mango’s chairman and chief executive, owns a smaller share. Ruiz took on greater leadership after Isak Andic’s death.
The investigation is still in the pretrial stage. In Spain, judges often lead criminal investigations before deciding whether a case should go to trial. That means the court’s current findings are not a conviction and do not mean charges will be filed. The next steps could include more witness interviews, forensic reviews and court decisions on whether prosecutors have enough evidence to move forward.
For now, Jonathan Andic remains out on bail while the homicide investigation continues. The court has not announced a trial date, and officials have not said when the next major ruling in the case is expected.
Author note: Last updated May 20, 2026.