A Pulse nightclub break-in early Thursday did not appear to result in any losses, but the owners of the Orlando club targeted in last month's deadly terror attack called the crime "pathetic."
When owners Rosario and Barbara Poma arrived at the club Thursday morning, they noticed a patio door that was covered with plywood was
unlocked, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
The Pomas told police they found pry marks where the suspected intruder pulled away part of the plywood, the newspaper noted. Luckily, nothing appeared to be missing and no other damage was reported.
Poma told the Sentinel that some employees drove by the club around 3 a.m. Thursday and saw that a vehicle gate was open. They reportedly closed the game and left without further examination, the newspaper said.
"It's pathetic that people would do such things," Rosario Poma told the Orlando Sentinel. "I don't know what they were doing."
The Pulse nightclub break-in occurred just hours after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Orlando police turned the facility back over to its
owners, according to WKMG-TV. It had previously been an active investigation site.
"Since June 12, we have seen the worst and best of human behavior," Barbara Poma said in a statement, according to WKMG-TV. "We are disappointed that someone felt compelled to violate the privacy of our beloved Pulse nightclub and the sacred place it has now become. We have faith in the Orlando Police Department and its investigation of this break-in. The club will continue to remain closed to the public as we work to plan the future of Pulse."
The gay nightclub was the site of a mass shooting and hate crime on June 12, which left 49 people dead and 53 others wounded. Gunman Omar Mateen opened fire at the club in the worst mass shooting in
modern U.S. history, CBS News noted.
During the shooting, Mateen claimed allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, said he himself was an Islamic soldier, and urged the U.S. to stop bombing Syria and Iraq, the FBI told CBS News last month.
Mateen was eventually killed by police inside the club after a standoff.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.