Cops Still Baffled Over Brooklyn Bridge Flag Stunt

Apparently, all you need to orchestrate a prank on the Brooklyn Bridge are aluminum roasting pans and some mad climbing skills. Police say a small group of intruders used the pans to cover floodlights on the bridge's two towers before they hoisted two bleached-white US flags overnight Monday, the AP reports. Authorities say they're looking for four to five people—some of whom likely have construction or bridge work experience—seen in security footage walking on the footpath of the bridge around 3am. Police believe they scaled the main cables leading to the towers, thereby avoiding locked gates.

A city worker tells NBC New York that the feat likely took two hours. The actual flag-replacement wasn’t captured by security cameras, and officers in two police cars at either end of the bridge noticed nothing amiss. “To be clear, we’re certainly concerned about it,” the NYPD’s anti-terrorism czar tells the Daily News. No motive is known, and police are scouring social media for clues. (This is the third security breach in New York City in recent months, including these parachuters and this teen.)