by Alex Lloyd Gross
US Attorney David Metcalf announced that Sean Gerlach and Dawn Hawa have been charged with tampering with the Liberty Bell which is on display in the Historic Area of Philadelphia. According to court documents, it was on May 16,2026 when the two entered the pavilion where the bell is kept.
Gerlach was caught on video climbing over the rope that surrounds it and pushing the bell back and forth, with force, causing it to move. When interviewed by Federal Agents later, about the incident, he is alleged to have admitted that he tried to ring the bell.
Hawa is alleged to have flicked an oily substance at the bell which stayed on the bell and had to be cleaned off. It is unknown what that substance was. The incident was caught on video camera.
If convicted, Gerlach faces a maximum of one year in prison and Hawa faces a maximum of six months in prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the National Park Service.