July 21, 2026
FRANK PISCANI/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
A teenager will be charged with arson offenses after setting fire to American flags at four homes in Montgomery County on Monday, police say. The teen will be charged in juvenile court.
A teenager was arrested Monday afternoon for setting American flags on fire at four homes in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania State Police said.
The incidents happened at houses in different neighborhoods, including properties in Fox Heath in Schwenksville and Cranberry Estates in Collegeville.
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The teen lit one Schwenksville resident's American flag on fire while it was still hanging from the front porch of his house, according to the homeowner, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his safety. A neighbor put out the flames as the suspect jumped in his vehicle and exited the street.
All of the incidents happened within a 5-mile radius. State police confirmed the suspect was located and taken into custody after officers responded to calls from the homeowners.
State police did not disclose the teen's age and declined to say whether investigators have determined a motive for the fires. The teen will be charged in juvenile court with arson offenses, police said.
Federal and state courts consistently have ruled that burning an American flag is a constitutionally protected form of political expression, but not if the flag belongs to another person, business or institution that has not consented to it. How the flag is burned, and whether the fire causes property damage or a threat to public safety, also can make the act a crime for reasons unrelated to free speech.
