Stolen Monument Avenue Flag Returned

Thomas Younger said that shortly before noon today, Monday, he was told that the flag stolen from Monument Avenue had been recovered. 

"It was found folded this morning on the front steps of the First Church in Swampscott Congregational on 40 Monument Avenue by church staff when they opened the front doors from the inside of the church," the town administrator said in an email.

Cathy Vaucher, an administrator at First Church in Swampscott, said that a member of the church who runs its food pantry, Gordon Angel, came down to her office about 9:45 am on Monday and said that a folded flag was on the front steps.

Cathy ran to the front and saw the large folded flag.

She called the Fire Department and they came over and picked it up.

As soon as she heard there was a folded flag on the steps Cathy, thought it was likely the large flag stolen nearby from Monument Avenue.

Asked how she felt when she saw the flag, she said, "I was teary with happiness."

Earlier today Patch learned that the town has received a lot of donations or offers to replace the stolen flag.

The stolen Stars and Stripes by a thief or thieves in the early morning hours after July 4.

It was a new 20- by 30-foot flag donated by the family of US Army , 20, who was killed in 2006 while serving in Iraq.

On July 5, the veterans agent received calls from people who wanted to donate a replacement flag.

The first one was from an anonymous donor out of Salem.

Next, the agent received a donation from the Rooney family, former owner of  on Humphrey Street.

Another flag was donated by a Swampscott man.

And just this morning, Monday, Schultz learned that Eastern Bank wants to donate the full cost of the flag. The flags sell for about $1,000.

In addition the flag fund has received checks totalling about $600.