BARNSTABLE, MASS. (WHDH) - A $2,500 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest in connection with the destruction of a number of flags that hang from an overpass dedicated to first responders on Cape Cod, officials said.
All of the flags on First Responders Appreciation Overpass at Exit 5 in West Barnstable were vandalized overnight, according to State Rep. Steven Xiarhos.
The flags appear to have been sprayed with an unknown liquid that melted the material, the Barnstable Police Department said. They have since been taken down to undergo additional testing.
Police noted the flags have been either vandalized or stolen on five different occasions since they were placed on the overpass in 2018.
The flags were purchased by donations to the Nicholas G. Xiarhos Memorial Foundation, which Steven started in honor of his late son, who was killed while serving with the Marine Corps in Afghanistan in 2009.
“We had these flags specially made. They cost $480,” Steven said. “I was horrified and saddened that somebody would do this.”
The Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office is assisting Barnstable police with an investigation.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Barnstable police at 508-775-0387.
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