Harlem LGBTQ Flag Burner Arrested, Police Say

HARLEM, NY — A man is facing charges for burning LGBTQ pride flags outside of a Harlem gay bar, police said.

Tyresse Singleton, 20, was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of arson and two counts of criminal mischief as a hate crime, police said. Singleton is accused of burning rainbow flags displayed outside Harlem's Alibi Lounge on May 31 and again on Monday.

Alibi Lounge owner Alexi Minko posted a photo of the burned flags on the bar's Instagram page early Monday morning with a caption: "Sad to report that few weeks after the first incident, someone has once again set our pride flags on fire! We simply have no words!" The flag that was burned had been donated to the business after the arsonist burned the previous set of flags outside the bar on the eve of June, which is LGBT Pride Month.

The acts of vandalism also earned a strong rebuke from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who directed the state police's hate crimes task force to assist in the NYPD investigation.

Alibi Lounge is located on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard between 138th and 139th Streets. An address police gave for Singleton is located just about 20 minutes away on West 123rd Street.