diff --git a/src/app/pane.coffee b/src/app/pane.coffee
index e9132cc11..683a5db72 100644
--- a/src/app/pane.coffee
+++ b/src/app/pane.coffee
@@ -135,11 +135,11 @@ class Pane extends View
     @trigger 'pane:item-added', [item, index]
     item
 
-  destroyActiveItem: =>
-    @destroyItem(@activeItem)
+  destroyActiveItem: (promptToSave=true) =>
+    @destroyItem(@activeItem, promptToSave)
     false
 
-  destroyItem: (item) ->
+  destroyItem: (item, promptToSave=true) ->
     container = @getContainer()
     reallyDestroyItem = =>
       @removeItem(item)
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ class Pane extends View
 
     @autosaveItem(item)
 
-    if item.isModified?()
+    if promptToSave && item.isModified?()
       @promptToSaveItem(item, reallyDestroyItem)
     else
       reallyDestroyItem()
diff --git a/src/app/text-buffer.coffee b/src/app/text-buffer.coffee
index 36f93724c..228aa73c5 100644
--- a/src/app/text-buffer.coffee
+++ b/src/app/text-buffer.coffee
@@ -37,8 +37,9 @@ class Buffer
     @lineEndings = []
 
     if path
-      throw "Path '#{path}' does not exist" unless fs.exists(path)
-      @setPath(path)
+      # throw "Path '#{path}' does not exist" unless fs.exists(path)
+      if fs.exists(path)
+        @setPath(path)
       if initialText?
         @setText(initialText)
         @updateCachedDiskContents()
@@ -96,7 +97,8 @@ class Buffer
     @trigger 'reloaded'
 
   updateCachedDiskContents: ->
-    @cachedDiskContents = @file.read()
+    if @file?
+      @cachedDiskContents = @file.read()
 
   getBaseName: ->
     @file?.getBaseName()