The U.S. Park Police is asking for help from the public to identify a person seen on surveillance footage in connection with an investigation into damage at the Reflecting Pool and the alleged destruction of federal property in Washington, D.C.
Authorities said the incident took place Friday at approximately 3:36 p.m. at the Reflecting Pool, located on the Lincoln Memorial grounds in the nation’s capital.
In video shared by police, a person appears to kneel beside the Reflecting Pool and extend an arm into the water.
The individual appears to have dark hair and is seen wearing a gray shirt and black shorts, while also carrying a light-colored handbag.
Police said the incident occurred Friday at about 3:36 p.m. at the Reflecting Pool on the Lincoln Memorial grounds in Washington, D.C. (U.S. Park Police)
Police said the inquiry comes after President Donald Trump’s effort to resurface the Reflecting Pool, a project that led to peeling paint and algae growth that changed the water’s intended “American Flag Blue” look to a murky green.
Trump and other officials said several people were arrested and others received citations over allegations that they damaged the Reflecting Pool.
“They went down with probably a box cutter or a very sharp razor of some kind or a knife, and they cut, and then they started ripping it up,” Trump said Wednesday in the Oval Office. “You know why? Because they’re sick people.”
Video released by police shows what appears to be a woman kneeling down next to the Reflecting Pool and reaching her arm into the water. (U.S. Park Police)
“These people should go to jail for a long time,” Trump said, adding that he believed the pool was damaged because of what he called “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Trump said some water will be released from the pool so that repairs can be made. The president had previously speculated that fertilizer was poured into the pool and caused the algae.
“Around the Reflecting Pool, we have a huge field of grass,” he said. “They poured acid on the grass, the same people, I guess.”
National Park Service employees and contractors use vacuums to remove green algae from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 18, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“It killed – you know, acid kills grass quickly – so that’s being fixed,” Trump continued.
On Monday, he said chemicals were “illegally placed in the water.”
