Vandals rip down Upper Moreland Twp. resident's Pride flag for 2nd year in a row

UPPER MORELAND TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- A local man's Pride flag was targeted not once, but twice, and the homeowner has the video to prove it all.

"You can see it as you're coming all the way down the road," said Michael Ceneviva of his Pride flag, which he has displayed in front of his home in Upper Moreland Township for years.

"We have people in my family who are members of that community," he said.

He hangs the flag year-round to show his support as an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.

"Equal rights, it's not a pie. Just because I get some does not mean you get less," he said.

It's why Ceneviva and his family were unsettled with what happened Monday morning.

"My daughter ran something out to the car and said, 'you know the flag is on the ground,'" he recalled.

Ceneviva went right to his home security video and, within minutes, pinpointed the exact moment a vandal targeted his flag.

"The kid comes [up to the flag]," said Ceneviva. "He's all in black."

The video was taken at around 11:25 a.m. Monday.

It shows a male in a black hoodie walking up and yanking down the pole holding the flag. As he tugged, the driver of a black Toyota Prius pulled up and honked the horn.

The suspect then pulled down the flag and ran towards the car, dropping the flag to the ground before hopping into the back of the black Prius.

"You can hear them all laughing," said Ceneviva.

It's no laughing matter, though. Upper Moreland Police are now investigating the crime.

This is not the first time Ceneviva's flag has been targeted.

"Last year the kid was masked," he said of the 2024 incident which also captured a suspect on video ripping down his Pride flag.

That video shows what appears to be a different person grabbing the flag. Their getaway vehicle was a white car.

Ceneviva thinks, in both cases, teens may have been responsible, but he questions the timing.

"I don't know if it's targeted towards Pride month. But it's an awful coincidence," he said.

Despite the fact that the vandal broke part of his flag pole, Ceneviva - who is a former township commissioner - had his Pride flag back up almost immediately. He hopes police catch the vandals so he can display his Pride in peace.

"It's just not right," he said.

Upper Moreland police ask anyone who recognizes the suspect to email tsmith@uppermoreland.org or call 215-657-4700.