In November 2014, a man dropped off a flag at Everett Fire Station #1, claiming that it was the original flag that was raised by New York City firefighters above the site of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. The ground zero flag, as it became known, was an iconic symbol in the aftermath of 9/11, but was lost in the years following the attacks.

An Everett man who collected flags delivered one he believed could be the original to his local fire department, who then turned it over to the Everett Police for safeguarding. Over the next year, Everett detectives worked to investigate its origin and authenticity.

Ultimately, detectives concluded that there was enough compelling evidence to determine that this was likely the ground zero flag, and arrangements were made to return and preserve the flag. The flag will be featured in an upcoming special on the History Channel, “America’s 9/11 Flag: Rise from the Ashes.”

We were very honored to have provided pro bono legal services related to facilitating the transfer of this flag to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. HCMP attorney Mary Peterson and summer associate Jesse Feng worked on the matter.