A 37-year-old man was arrested for the theft and vandalism of Pride flags along Kings Highway in a South Jersey community. On June 22, officials in Haddonfield received multiple reports stating that Pride flags belonging to local businesses had either been stolen or damaged.
The next morning, Dave Siedell, mayor of Haddonfield, called the then-unidentified subject a “black hearted, thin skinned, broflake” on his Facebook page. Siedell encouraged those who had photos or video evidence to reach out to the Haddonfield Police Department.
Siedell posted an update later that day at 4:30 p.m., stating that police in Haddonfield had charged Joshua Serad, a resident of Maple Shade. Serad was charged with criminal mischief. Serad has been released and has a pending court appearance. NJ.com’s coverage of the matter stated that there were nine flags stolen or damaged in total.
ABC’s Action News in Philadelphia was able to get comments from locals who witnessed the incident. Jay Carroll, a witness who confronted the alleged thief, said Serad was “very agitated,” adding that “there were a lot of F bombs and ‘you guys’ and whatever.”
Both Carroll and another Haddonfield resident, Sharon Costantino, were relieved to hear that Serad was not from their town, stating that these actions do not reflect the values of Haddonfield. “The town is very welcoming, really, it really is,” Carroll said.
“I think it’s not a good thing, and hopefully they learn their lesson,” Costantino added, referring to Serad.
Haddonfield was able to replace its damaged flags and poles quickly.
“We were disappointed that our Kings Highway flags were vandalized, grateful for our police department in identifying and making the suspect accountable, and grateful to our business district for replacing them so quickly,” Siedell told Out In Jersey.
