Police seeking help from public identifying suspect believed to have vandalized Reflecting Pool

A person of interest being sought by police in connection with damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The U.S. Park Police are seeking help from the public in identifying and detaining a suspect caught in surveillance footage showing a person apparently vandalizing the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which they say has exacerbated algae problems at the iconic landmark in Washington, D.C.

The surveillance footage was captured on June 9, and Park Police say it shows an individual using a razor or sharp knife to cut the pool's protective liner, according to court documents, installed when the pool was drained this spring and then painted with a coat of American Flag Blue. "In addition, approximately 70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool," police also said in the filing. 

The Park police released the footage on social media along with zoomed in screen shots with a red circle around the person of interest in the case. At least six people have been arrested in recent days, according to NBC News, in connection with alleged vandalism of the Reflecting Pool, which the Trump administration spent about $16 million refurbishing in order to spruce it up for the country's 250th birthday on the Fourth of July. 

President Trump posted photos on Truth Social showing the water in the Reflecting Pool looking clear and apparently free of algae earlier this week, after workers were seen last week cleaning algae from the pool after it grew back in the days following the initial fixes that were completed earlier this month. Damaging federal landmark property can carry a maximum punishment of up to 10 years and prison and a maximum fine of up to $250,000.

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool seen on June 24, 2026.

Not surprisingly, Democrats and the mainstream media have downplayed Trump's vandalism claims, and criticized him for not immediately providing evidence to support the vandalism claims. But Emily Miller, an independent reporter who has been closely tracking the Reflecting Pool renovations, has chronicled the reports of vandalism in recent days and showed images of the damage provided to her by sources who have worked on the pool renovations.

She said on Thursday the details revealed in the court filing by the Park Police have verified her recent reporting. Watch a short video she posted on Thursday showing that damage below.