Crime

Cameras recorded a man setting fire to the Pulse nightclub memorial in Orlando

Surveillance cameras recorded a man starting a fire at the temporary memorial that is set up outside of Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
Surveillance cameras recorded a man starting a fire at the temporary memorial that is set up outside of Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Screenshot of video

A man was caught on camera setting fire to the temporary memorial outside of Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, a site meant to remember the lives lost in the 2016 massacre.

OnePULSE foundation posted video of the Oct. 12 incident on Facebook this weekend hoping that someone would recognize him.

Surveillance cameras recorded a man in a wheelchair stopping in front of the memorial outside of the LGBTQ+ nightclub, 19212 S Orange Ave., around 8:30 p.m. He starts a fire in the memorial’s offering wall, and once the flames begin to spread, he leaves and crosses the street.

The nonprofit says the fire destroyed three banners and several other items at the site.

June 12 marked the fifth anniversary of the 2016 mass shooting that killed 49 people and wounded 53 others. The temporary memorial opened to the public in May 2018.

Anyone with information on who the man is or where detectives can find him is asked to call the Orlando Police Department at 407-246-2470 and reference case number 2021-003-693-96.

“#WeWillNotLetHateWin,” the nonprofit wrote on Facebook.

This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 9:26 AM.

Michelle Marchante
Miami Herald
Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health’s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald’s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow.  Support my work with a digital subscription
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