Wayne, NJ man admits he removed pride flag from church, police say

WAYNE — A township man has been charged with bias intimidation and criminal mischief for allegedly removing a rainbow flag from a local church's flagpole.

According to police, 23-year-old Dominick Theophanous admitted that he pulled down the flag — which was flown by the church to show support for individuals who identify as gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer — in October.

Police were alerted to the incident by the pastor of Grace United Presbyterian Church. A detective was able to obtain video evidence of the crime, and shared information about the suspect and vehicle seen in the surveillance footage.

On Nov. 10, an officer spotted a vehicle matching the description, and Theophanous agreed to a provide a statement at police headquarters. Theophanous admitted that he pulled the flag down on the date and time of the incident, according to police.

Theophanous was charged and released on a summons.

Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.