TikTok user jadednature posted a video on March 1 detailing how what used to be the Cricket Lounge on Morewood Avenue in Oakland has come under new ownership and will soon open as Medusa’s Lair. The user then cited how the apparent owner, Aaron Duran, has a history of sexual misconduct.
The user states that a dancer in the area had messaged her about the "new club that will be opening at the site of the former Cricket Lounge in Pittsburgh" and specifically asked her to look into the owner.
As of now, the video has been shared over 500 times, played over 18,000 times, and generated over 1,700 likes.
According to court records obtained by Pittsburgh City Paper, Duran was, in 2012, convicted of indecent assault on an unconscious victim. Articles from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and WPXI, both of which are from March 2012, report that police arrested Duran when two women accused him of raping them after they “inexplicably blacked out” in his Green Tree residence. One of the women alleged that Duran had possibly drugged her drink while they were out at a club.
The assaults took place in June and September 2011.
Duran was charged with one count of rape against an unconscious victim but eventually pled guilty to "unconscious sexual assault," a misdemeanor for which he was sentenced to three years of probation.
Court records also show Duran was charged in 2009 with “open lewdness,” a third-degree misdemeanor defined by state law as “any lewd act” the suspect knows is “likely to be observed by others who would be affronted or alarmed.”
Still, details are scant on what, if any role, Duran has at the yet unopened club. Screenshots show that Duran originally listed Medusa’s Lair in his Facebook work history, but that has since been changed to just “Janitorial Supervisor.” However, a Facebook search done today pulled up the same pre-deleted work history along with his name.
Duran has not responded to requests for comment through email and social media. An attempt to reach him by phone failed to connect.
A search of Medusa’s Lair has also resulted in a dead end. One screenshot shows that the club had an active Instagram with two posts, but it has since been deleted. The club’s TikTok account also came up empty. When CP visited Cricket Lounge on March 2, the building still had the original Cricket Lounge signage and no notices were found indicating that Medusa’s Lair was taking over the space.
Screenshot
Screenshots of Duran's Facebook page citing his place of work as Medusa's Lair (right) and of the now defunct Medusa's Lair Instagram page
One TikTok video shared by jadednation suggests renovations have already started on the inside of the building, with footage showing someone putting a fresh coat of paint on the club’s catwalk area. CP was able to find the video, posted in February with the caption "Medusas lair cumming soon to Pittsburgh pa" and the location as Cricket Lounge.
This is not the first time a property connected with Duran has appeared in the news. In 2021, according to CBS Pittsburgh, one bar listed in his work history, Hottie's Martini and Cigar Bar in Carnegie, was labeled a nuisance bar after multiple people in the community complained of being disturbed by loud noise, fights, and drag racing around the property.@fiendbug Medusas lair cumming soon to Pittsburgh pa ❗️❗️ #medusaslair #newclub #onthemap #fyp ♬ Versace (Remix) - Migos
The bar’s owner was listed as Three Duran, LLC.
