In an interview with Spanish-language television network Univision the man, who was identified only by the name Miguel, claimed he and Mateen were "friends with benefits". Mateen, 29, shot dead 49 people at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Florida, on June 12 in America's worst mass shooting. According to the Online Buddies website, nearly 5 million men have joined it from around the world.A man who says he was Omar Mateen's lover has claimed the mass murderer acted out of revenge after finding out one of his partners was HIV positive. The company's other sites include Manhunt, a site "for guys to meet online," Dandy, a mobile app for gay men to meet using a "fun, gamified interface" and OLB Research Institute, which coordinates research recruitment and health promotion activities across the Online Buddies sites.Īccording to the website, the company was "created to connect the gay community during the rise of online dating." It is one of several apps and sites created by Online Buddies, a Cambridge, Mass.-based gay social networking and dating company founded in 2001 by Jonathan Crutchley and Larry Basile.
It is available for iPhones, Android and Windows phones. The app allows users to chat before they meet. Users can match with other men when both express interest in one another. Jack'd is a location-based dating app for men that allows users to post public and private photos in their profile. With that seeming less likely, it's one closed door among many leads being pursued as the nation attempts to understand the killer's motives. The possibility that Mateen had used the Jack'd app was enticing as it would have given investigators a treasure trove of data about him from its chat feature. We are ready to assist if we can provide any information that would help the investigation," Camacho said. "We encourage law enforcement authorities to contact us if they have any additional information. The company is eager to help with the investigation, said CEO Camacho. Without an email address or login credentials, Jack’d can neither confirm nor deny that Mateen had an account on its system, he said. Signing up for the basic version of the Jack'd app can be done anonymously and does not require a credit card or name verification. “Anyone could be uploading photos that they find, pretending to be someone else,” said Letourneau.
However, the image was deemed to be a hoax because given what appeared in the image, Jack’d was able to determine that it was actually a photo uploaded to the sender’s own account and had not been sent from another account. The show wanted to confirm that the image hadn’t been doctored, said Letourneau.
The news show sent Jack’d what was supposed to be a screen shot of Mateen’s profile on the site, which had been sent from one of its sources. On Tuesday, Jack’d was approached by a television news show that wanted to schedule a joint interview with West and a spokesperson from the company, said Jack’d director of marketing Kevin Letourneau. His staff has been unable to substantiate that Mateen had a profile on Jack'd based on the information they have gleaned from the news media. However, Camacho said neither the FBI nor police have contacted the company. He said after the shooting, he went to the police and turned over his phone and Jack'd login information to the FBI.
He said he recognized Mateen from the app.
Kevin West told the paper that he was at Pulse the night of the attack at the gay dance club that left 49 victims dead and 53 wounded. The service also hasn't been able to substantiate Mateen had been a member, said Hector Camacho, CEO of Jack'd parent company Online Buddies.Īccording to the Los Angeles Times, Mateen, 29, had messaged at least one regular Pulse patron sporadically over the past year using the Jack'd app. SAN FRANCISCO - The CEO of Jack'd, a Tinder-like gay chat and dating app, says he hasn't been contacted by law enforcement since reports surfaced late Monday Orlando shooter Omar Mateen might have been using the app for at least a year. Watch Video: Omar Mateen: What we know about the Orlando shooter