FRENCHTOWN BOROUGH, NJ (Hunterdon County) – A Hunterdon County man is facing several charges for allegedly stealing Pride flags and then disposing of them into the Delaware River, according to Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson.
Justin T. Settembrino, 30, of Frenchtown Borough was charged on August 29 with one count of fourth-degree bias intimidation, two counts of theft of moveable property, and one count of criminal mischief. He was then lodged in the Warren County jail, Robeson said.
On Sunday, August 28 Frenchtown Borough Police responded to a report of several LBTQ+ Pride flags recovered in the Delaware River by a concerned citizen.
A further investigation resulted in the discovery of video surveillance from the previous night which captured the perpetrator stealing the flags. Settembrino was positively identified as the person in the surveillance video, Robeson said.
Earlier this month several Pride flags throughout the borough were found to be stolen or damaged on the morning of August 8. Law enforcement, borough officials, and community members have rallied together to bring those responsible to justice. This investigation is still ongoing, Robeson said.
Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact the Frenchtown Police Department at 908-996-4820 or the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office’s Criminal Investigations Unit at 908-788-1129. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-321-0010, going online to www.CrimeStoppersHunterdon.com, or through the free “P3 Tips” smartphone app. All tips are anonymous and kept confidential. Despite having been charged, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
