Police authorities recently arrested the man who destroyed a pride flag outside a New Jersey church. The incident took place on Halloween at the Grace United Presbyterian Church in Wayne.
The church pastor reportedly informed the police about the ripping down of the rainbow flag.
Police Arrests Man
According to CBS New York, the authorities arrested the suspect on Wednesday, Nov. 10.
Wayne police identified the suspect as a man named Dominick Theophanous, a New Jersey resident. In the video footage obtained by the police, the suspect was seen wearing a hood.
The surveillance video reportedly spotted the man going towards Grace United Presbyterian Church. The 23-year-old township man then backtracked and gazed over his shoulder.
Theophanous allegedly went for the rainbow flag and nabbed it from the flagpole. Additionally, he could be seen in the video footage running away with the church's pride flag.
The surveillance video reportedly helped the police identify the suspect in the crime.
According to the police, an officer observed a vehicle that matched the description of the suspect's car.
Wayne police apprehended Theophanous and reportedly charged him with two criminal offenses. The 23-year-old suspect was slapped with criminal mischief and fourth-degree bias intimidation.
Suspect Admits to the Crime
As per the New Jersey 101.5, the suspect consented to give a statement at the police headquarters.
The report said that Theophanous admitted that he snatched the pride flag from the pole. After that, he confessed to committing the crime on the day and time of the incident.
The Grace United Presbyterian Church hoisted the flag in October, according to the report. This move supported the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community.
Rainbow Flag as Symbol of LGBTQ Pride
Britannica posted that the use of the rainbow flag can trace its roots back to 1978.
Gilbert Baker, an artist, crafted the first rainbow flag. Baker was an openly gay man.
According to Baker, American politician, Harvey Milk encouraged him to make a pride symbolism. Milk, also a gay rights activist, said that the pride symbol represented the gay community.
Baker reportedly chose to make a flag since it is the most potent representation of pride.
"Our job as gay people was to come out, to be visible, to live in the truth, as I say, to get out of the lie," he said.
The artist believed that a flag is suitable in carrying out that objective, the Britannica posted.
Baker claimed that rainbows can be seen naturally in the sky. Thus, he chose to use eight colors for the first-ever pride flag.
The eight colors also reportedly signify different meanings. Hot pink represents sex; red is for life; orange symbolizes healing; and yellow for sunlight.
Moreover, green signifies nature; turquoise for art; indigo represents harmony; and violet for spirit.
About Grace United Presbyterian Church
Based on its website, the Wayne-based church welcomes everyone in the community.
The Presbyterian church reportedly strives to spread love, peace, hope, and joy to all people. The congregation also embraces the LGBTQ community and those hurt by the Church.
The church said that it provides a safe environment for those who are afraid and vulnerable.
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