Key West man arrested after overnight burglary attempt at Pigeon Key

Deputies say a quiet, historic stretch of the Old Seven Mile Bridge became the scene of an overnight break-in attempt around 1:15 a.m. when a Key West man climbed over Pigeon Key’s perimeter gate and moved into a restricted area near employee quarters.

A motion-activated light switched on as he entered, alerting a woman staying on the grounds. When she told him the site was closed and he needed to leave, deputies say Nicholas Robert Matott refused, screamed, paced and then tried to force his way into the bedroom where she had barricaded herself.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office later found Matott hiding underneath a nearby structure. Investigators also recovered a cell phone and charger that belonged to a resident of the island, turning the case from a trespass complaint into a burglary investigation. Arrest records list Matott, 37, as being taken into custody at 02:00 on April 25, with the arrest location entered as Florida Bay, Marathon. Jail records list him as a white male from Key West and show no bond. The sheriff’s office records also list two felony burglary charges under Florida statute 810.02.3a and one felony larceny charge under 812.014.2d, and investigators said additional charges could still be added as the case moves forward.

The arrest landed in one of Monroe County’s most recognizable places. Pigeon Key sits in the path of the Old Seven Mile Bridge and was once home to more than 400 workers building Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railway. During the railroad era, from 1908 to 1912, the island had a post office, a commissary and a one-room school. Monroe County says the Pigeon Key Historic District was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places on March 16, 1990.

Today, the bridge is open to bikers, walkers and runners, while access to Pigeon Key itself requires admission. Visitor information lists the bridge walk as free, with island admission set at $15 for adults and $12 for children ages 4 to 12. County planning and state funding materials describe the site as a major tourist and marine education destination that draws thousands of visitors, which makes the overnight intrusion especially unsettling at a landmark built for public access but still dependent on restricted spaces to protect people and property.