Mysterious White Flags Replace The Two American Flags On Top Of Brooklyn Bridge

Two white flags, the international symbols of surrender, flew for several hours earlier this week on top of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. 

The mysterious flags fluttered from the poles which usually fly the American flags on top of the stone supports of the bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The flags had a faint appearance of the stars and stripes, leading some to conclude that the real American flags had been bleached. Others believe the American flags that are normally up at the bridge had been removed.

Construction workers first spotted the white flags and notified authorities. Cops took down the flags at about noon. Several officers scaled the bridge and lowered one of the whitewashed flags at about 11 a.m. and the second about 20 minutes later.


"If flying a white flag atop the Brooklyn Bridge is someone's idea of a joke, I'm not laughing," said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a retired police captain.

Adams is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible. The money was provided by a private donor, said Adams.

"The public safety of our city is of paramount importance, particularly our landmarks and bridges that are already known to be high-risk targets. We will not surrender our public safety to anyone, at any time. Political and social expression, whatever its message may be, has a place in our society, but not at the expense of others' security."

The NYPD keeps 24-hour surveillance of the span. It also maintains heightened security around all the city's bridges and critical infrastructure.

Police said that security camera footage showed several people walking on the pedestrian path at about 3:20 a.m. and then the light on the Brooklyn-side tower going out about 20 minutes later. About 12 minutes after that, the light on the Manhattan tower goes out, too, police said.

Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism and Intelligence John Miller said aluminum foil sheets covered the lights.

Miller said the NYPD does not believe the suspect's motive was connected to terrorism.

"They might have experience climbing, in construction or in bridgework," Miller said. "Or that they may have actually been up there before, looking at the dimensions. We have a number of investigative steps we're going to go through."

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said whatever the motive behind the incident, he is concerned.

"I am not particularly happy about the event and have charged Commissioner Miller to conduct a full and thorough investigation into the circumstances," Bratton said. "Again, we are requesting the help of the public on this issue."

Police said an investigation into the white flags was underway.

The New York Post reported that replacement American flags were being delivered to the bridge.

"I am confident in the NYPD's ability to investigate this matter," Adams said.