As millions of Americans across the U.S. get ready to fire up the grill over the July Fourth holiday weekend, they're likely to spend less at the checkout line this year.

All-American staples like hot dogs, hamburgers, pork ribs, and potato salad will cost 3% less this year compared to last, according to a recent survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The survey estimated that the average cost of this summer's cookout for ten people will be around $55.84, or $5.58 per person. The survey was taken at local grocery stores across 30 states and factored in costs for items like condiments, side dishes, snacks, and beverages. 

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“Based on our survey, food prices overall appear to be fairly stable. Prices for beef have continued to increase this year, but prices for other meats are generally declining. Dairy product prices are also quite a bit lower,” said John Anderson, deputy chief economist at AFBF. Anderson added that although meat production is beginning to increase generally, beef prices have stabilized and pork prices have been in decline all year. 

"Fuel and other energy prices have also generally been lower so far this year compared to last year," said Anderson. "This helps keep prices down on the more processed items in the basket. Energy is an important component of the final price for these products."

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The American Farm Bureau Federation is the country's largest farm organization and has chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The cookout survey is part of a series which includes an annual Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Survey.

Actor Jim Carrey turned to Twitter to air his frustrations over California's new strict vaccination law on Tuesday, calling Gov. Jerry Brown a "corporate fascist."

In a series of tweets, the Golden Globe winner insisted that he was "pro-vaccine" but "anti-neutrotoxin" and "anti-mercury," which, he believes causes autism in children. The rant started with Carrey saying California's governor, who signed in the one of the strictest immunization laws in the country, "must be stopped."

Carrey and former girlfriend Jenny McCarthy, who believe McCarthy's son's autism was caused by vaccines, have become activists on the issue. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is "no link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and [autism], as well as no link between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and [autism] in children."

In the same Twitter tirade, Carrey also accused the CDC of being "corrupt" and unable to "solve a problem they helped start."

The California bill removes the state's personal belief exemption for immunizations and instead says that only children with serious health problems may opt out. It came in the wake of a measles outbreak at Disneyland last year that affected more than 100 people in the U.S. and Mexico. 

"This is truly a case where science — and what is the best case for public health — prevailed," state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, said at a press conference Tuesday.

An Instagram selfie showing a tourist posing atop the Brooklyn Bridge has renewed concerns about bridge security in New York City as the July 4th holiday approaches.

David Karnauch took the photo after he climbed the bridge on impulse, he said. He was never questioned or stopped.

"You could just get on a beam and it actually had handrails on the left and right side, and I just walked across the bridge and turned around to take a picture," he told NBC 4 New York over Skype from his home in Chattanooga, Tennesse. 

"I don't recommend anybody else do it. It's not a smart thing to do because I know they take security on the bridges seriously," he said. 

In fact,  the NYPD and other law enforcement officials have been calling for vigilance as July 4th approaches amid some of the highest terror chatter in years. In the last two weeks, there have been three ISIS-related raids in New York and New Jersey, and four arrests. 

Nevertheless, the NYPD said in a statement Tuesday it doesn't consider Karnauch's climb a security breach.

"The person most endangered was the individual whose goal seems to be bringing attention to himself," NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorisn John J. Miller said in a statement to NBC 4 New York. "It was however, irresponsible and illegal. Had the officers patrolling the bridge arrived while he was there, he would have been arrested, as others have been. When he called the act 'not a smart thing to do,' he described it correctly." 

Miller added at a news conference Wednesday that Karnauch wouldn't have been able to get much further on the crossover because there is a fence that's "very difficult to climb around." 

"He looked at that and he said, 'Damn, I'm not getting around that, so I'll take my selfie stick and I'll take this stupid picture and I'll put it on my website,' but that's as far as he got," said Miller, calling Karnauch a "knucklehead." 

He reiterated: "If he'd stayed there probably a couple more minutes to get that shot, the roving patrols on the bridge, which are there all the time, would have arrested him or summonsed him as they had had others who have done the same stupid thing," he said. 

Still, the fact that Karnauch was able to get up so easily worried some New Yorkers crossing the iconic bridge Tuesday night.

"It's not only dangerous for the person, but dangerous for the pedestrian crossing the bridge," said Mark D'Alessandro of Brooklyn, who often walks across the bridge with his son.

He added, "It's not the only bridge we have a problem with. New York is big, we have a lot of landmarks." 

Miller said "that particular spot on the bridge has nothing to do with the structural integrity of the bridge from a terrorism standpoint."

"To conflate that behavior with a threat to the 4th of July... is to try and take a story that is no story to build it up into something more than it is," he told reporters. 

He said at the news conference that the NYPD's terrorism bureau has conducted a threat assessment and there is no known credible threat to New York City or the 4th of July celebration. 

Karnauch's stunt follows a year of bridge breaches. In November, French tourist Yonathin Souid climbed the bridge to take photos, and Russian tourist Yaroslav Kolchin climbed a beam last August. Each was sentenced to community service.

On July 22, 2014, two bleached-white American flags were found planted on the bridge span. Two German artists claimed they'd installed the flags as part of a project to celebrate the German engineer who designed the bridge.

"It just shows the NYPD can't be everywhere all the time. We need to create an environment where this isn't possible," said state senator Daniel Squadron, who supported a measure to toughen penalties on bridge climbers. The bill stalled in Albany. 

More than 120,000 vehicles, 4,000 pedestrians and 3,100 bicyclists cross the Brooklyn Bridge every day, said the city's Department of Transportation, which maintains the crossing.

Asiana Airlines is facing a new class-action lawsuit from passengers on the plane that crashed at San Francisco International Airport nearly two years ago.

Three teenagers from China died in the July 2013 crash of flight 214 while more than 180 of the 300 passengers were injured.

According to Reuters News Service, the lawsuit, filed in South Korea, was brought by 53 passengers seeking compensation for “injuries, mental distress and damage to property.” There was a previous lawsuit filed in the U.S. by 72 passengers, which later settled for an undisclosed amount.

The Korea Herald reported that among the passengers filing the suit are 27 South Koreans, 25 Chinese and one Indian, Jason Ha, who is a lawyer at Barun Law which filed the complaint on June 26. Any action taken against the airline must be made within two years of the incident.

The lawsuit seeks about $30 million in damages for the passengers who suffered injuries.

Two people were killed Wednesday when a plane crashed and burst into flames shortly after takeoff from an East Texas airstrip, sources tell NBC 5.

First responders were seen placing two tarps over what remained of the burned out aircraft, indicating there were two victims in the crash.

The airstrip's owner, Walter Meziere of Quinlan, was the pilot of the aircraft. Trooper Kyle Bradford of the Texas Department of Public Safety says Meziere, who was 54, and his 49-year-old passenger, Joe Livingston of McKinney, were both killed in the crash.

According to Lynn Lunsford with the Federal Aviation Administration, the single-engine Piper PA-24, which can seat four occupants, had departed the private Rockin' M Airport northeast of Quinlan early Wednesday afternoon.

Only a few moments later, the plane crashed into a field about 1,000 feet east of the north-south grass runway. The plane came to rest a few yards from a residence in rural Hunt County.

At this time, the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

As the mystery surrounding an amnesia patient and her past goes viral, people are flooding NBC 7 with clues and speculation as to whom the woman with the Australian accent may be.

In the latest hint Tuesday, Carlsbad resident Ann Dahl said she knows the woman from a Bible study at a Catholic church with a significant location.

“She went by Samantha to us; she called herself Sam,” said Ann Dahl. “She said it was a writer’s name when I met her because she was here from Australia. She referred to Australia back then.”

Dahl told NBC 7 she first met Sam at St. Patrick Catholic Church, which it located at the corner of Adams Street and Tamarack Avenue. The intersection is the same one where firefighters picked up the mysterious woman on Feb. 1, finding her barely breathing.

The woman could not remember her name, age or anything about her past. Doctors at Tri City Medical Center explained to her that antibodies from a malignant tumor, brought on by her Stage 3 ovarian cancer, may have caused amnesia.

Dahl believes Sam was homeless, but she seemed genuine in her faith and never asked for money. She regularly saw Sam at St. Patrick, worshipping and attending the Bible study.

"I know the voice; I know the face, although she's gained a little weight and the whole persona is the same,” said Dahl.

However, one aspect of Sam’s persona is still questionable to Dahl: her Australian accent. After NBC 7 posted the story to Facebook, tens of thousands of people weighed in, many with comments echoing the same skepticism, saying her accent sounds more English.

Sam told NBC 7 about dreams of Perth, Australia, where she thinks she lived. But Amy Schaefer, a Utah resident, says she knew Sam 20 years ago in Flagstaff, Arizona, by another name and claims Sam is 100 percent American. She told NBC 7 Sam seemed "eccentric" back then, often breaking into an English accent. Schaefer contacted Carlsbad Police Tuesday night and says the woman who answered the phone said "Sam had already been identified."

When NBC 7 asked Carlsbad Police to explain, they referred all questions to the FBI. An FBI spokesperson, aware of the increased media attention around the globe as a result of NBC 7's story, said the new information gathered today should help lead to a definitive identification soon.

Many, including Dahl, are not sure what to think of Sam and her enigmatic past.

"I'm hoping to God that somehow this brings an answer to this and if she does have relatives that they recognize this and they find her,” said Dahl.

An El Cajon couple, accused of leaving their infant in a hot car sobbed as attorneys presented opening statements in court Wednesday.

Israel Soto and Jessica Quezada are accused of leaving their 4-month-old son in a hot car overnight two years ago.

Family members found the baby inside a hot car at an apartment complex on North Mollison Avenue on Saturday, July 27. Little Giovanni Soto was left in the car for 15 hours and found unresponsive. He died later that day.

According to investigators, the couple left Giovanni in the car overnight after returning home from shopping.

A medical examiner’s report later revealed the infant had a body temperature of 107 degrees at the time of his death.

Prosecution called the first witness Adelina Gomez, who lived in the same apartment as the accused couple.

The prosecution argued Baby Giovanni’s death could have been avoided had the parents not been so negligent.

Quezada was smoking marijuana with her brother just six feet away from the car, prosecutors said.
Her defense attorney argued Quezada was overwhelmed and made a tragic mistake.

The couple three other children have up-to-date immunization records and they are well-fed and cared for, Soto’s defense attorney said.

Both Soto and Quezada face child endangerment charges and up to 12 years in prison if convicted. Quezada is also charged with the possession of methamphetamine.
 

The response was divided among locals upon hearing news that California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a controversial school vaccine bill into law.

Under the new law signed Tuesday, only children with serious health concerns can opt out of school-mandated vaccinations.

Hundreds weighed in on NBC 7's Facebook page, voicing anything from displeasure to support. Here are several of the responses.

An Ocean Beach family and their pet turtle escaped a house fire Wednesday caused by a candle, fire officials said.

The fire started around 2 a.m. in the back of the home on Saratoga Avenue near Cable Street.

The two people living in the home say they went to bed with candles still burning. Fire investigators say those candles appear to have started this fire.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in about 20 minutes but could not save the home or the contents inside.

Two other buildings on the same property were not damaged.

The San Diego chapter of the American Red Cross is offering assistance to the residents in finding temporary housing.
 

Shaved ice, snow cones, snowballs. Believe or not, sunny San Diego has plenty of icy blasts – at least the kind served with sweet syrups at local businesses all over the county. Check out this cool round-up of some of the best local spots for sweet snow cones this summer from our friends at Yelp.

Baltimore Snowball (San Marcos & Escondido)
Owners Joe and Loretta bring the best of Baltimore to San Diego with this “snowball” shop and their cool, creative combos can’t be beat. Our favorite is “The Elvis” made with chocolate ice cream, layered with peanut butter, peanut butter sauce and banana snow… then MORE peanut butter and chocolate sauce! Runner-up has to be “The Ocean City Sunset” with flavors of orange, marshmallow, banana, peach and cream. If you’ve never been, you’re missing out.

Sunset Ice Shack (Tierrasanta)
Hawaiian-style shaved ice and ice cream (plus amazing Acai and Chamango, too) keep customers happy at this hidden gem. You’ll find fun tropical tastes like the “Totes Ma Goats” with piña colada and coconut and the “Endless Summer,” the menu’s best-seller, packing a punch of passion fruit and guava. Stop in to get a bit of that island style in your life, and take your temperature down a peg or two.

Ice Blast Shaved Ice (Kearny Mesa)
Fluffy Hawaiian shaved ice is the perfect dessert for a heat wave or after a spicy meal, and here you’ll find all the classic flavors with a fusion of Asian flair. This Kearny Mesa joint stocks a Li Hing (salted plum) powder that you can add to your selections for a sweet and sour tang. You can create any combo of flavors you want here, but the menu board lists suggestions like the “Pretty in Pink,” made with pink lemonade, guava and coconut.

Southern Snoballs (Oceanside)
This North County spot specializes in sweet snow cones served up with Southern hospitality and made with Carlsbad Alkaline water. Patrons also have the option to try the snow cones “NOLA style,” meaning stuffed with ice cream and topped with condensed milk. Locally-owned and a favorite with reviewers, after a day at the beach this is the place to be. Don’t be worries if the line is deep, the snow servers sling their selections with serious speed.

Wahine Kai Shaved Ice (Scripps Ranch)
One of the best places to mix and match new flavors as this place stocks more than 30 flavors at any given time. Here, the ice is shaved super fine for a texture of treat that almost floats in your mouth. If it’s too hot to make hard choices, we suggest the “Dreamcicle,” the “Coco Moco,” or trying your snow cone of choice “Halo Halo style” – mixed with sweet red beans and condensed milk. This neighborhood shop is small, but mighty, so worth waiting your turn.

SnoCal Shaved Ice (Food Truck, various locations)
Go mobile with your frozen dessert and grab a treat from this food truck scooping serious shaved snow satisfaction. The owner’s name is Joe, and, as he puts it, he’s “here to shave your snow.” A trip to Hawaii sparked his business launch and now you can find him bringing the snow to the sand of San Diego. His treats use pure cane sugar and no high fructose corn syrup and the menu boasts a long list of flavors, plus add-ons and toppings like mochi, sour spray, chili powder and Pop Rocks.
 

Smashed windows and bits of broken glass were left behind at an Encinitas jewelry store overnight after unknown thieves tried to break into the business.

Deputies said the attempted break-in happened around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday at David Bernatz Jewelers in the 1000 block of North El Camino Real. The windows to the shop were shattered and employees were left to clean the mess.

Deputies said there were no arrests in the case, as the suspect quickly fled the scene. A description of the suspects was not available.

No injuries were reported in the would-be heist.
 

There will no doubt be plenty of beer and fireworks this Fourth of July.

Although we celebrate Independence Day on July 4 every year, that may not be the correct date of America's independence from Britain. In fact, John Adams wrote a letter to his wife Abigail hailing July 2 as the day people would celebrate America for generations to come.

That's because on July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution for independence. However, America celebrates July 4 because that was the day the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.

Here's a look at other things to know this July 4:

15,000 - The approximate number of July 4 fireworks shows that took place in 2014, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.

41.9 Million - The number of travelers AAA predicts will travel 50 miles or more from home during the holiday weekend.

150 Million - The approximate number of hot dogs to be consumed on the Fourth of July, according to Marketresearch.com.

61 - The number of hot dogs San Jose native Joey Chestnut ate in 10 minutes to win the annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn last year for the eighth time in a row. He also proposed to his girlfriend, fellow competitive eater Neslie Ricasa. She said yes.

69 - The hot dog eating record Joey Chestnut set in 2013.

6.8 Million - Number of singles sold of Katy Perry's "Firework" from her third studio album "Teenage Dream," according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

99 - The percentage of consumer fireworks that are made in China, according to The New York Times.

3 - The number of U.S. presidents who have died on July 4. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826. James Monroe also died on July 4, five years later.

1870 - The year Congress passed a bill to make July 4 a national holiday, though it has been celebrated as early as 1977, according to Time.

$55.84 - The average cost of a barbeque cookout this summer for 10 people, according to a survey of grocery stores in 30 states.

201.6 Million - The number of pounds of fireworks consumers used in 2014, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.

15 - The number of seconds San Diego's fireworks show lasted in 2012 when tens of thousands of fireworks were accidentally shot off at the same time.

The family involved in a crash with a deputy plans to sue the San Diego Sheriff’s Department for negligence.

A deputy crashed into the Auten family’s van on early Sunday morning on the West San Marcos Boulevard off-ramp from State Route 78.

The family on Wednesday told NBC 7 that they planned to file a lawsuit against the sheriff's department.

They were returning from a trip to Wyoming, with their three children in the van. The family says multiple law enforcement vehicles passed by them before their van was struck from the back by the deputy’s vehicle.

The deputy was racing to respond to a call, but the family said they viewed his rate of speed as negligent.

The San Diego Sheriff's Department has declined to comment on the potential litigation.

The youngest child, 10-year old Lexi Auten, was in the back of the van and was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

The deputy and youth explorer riding with him were also treated at a hospital for minor injuries.

“We had luggage in the back and we feel that it protected our daughter,” said father Floyd Auten.

The family says the deputy has apologized, but the accident has left them with emotional scars.

A man accused of murdering a man by stabbing him twice in front of a popular downtown sushi restaurant appeared in front of a judge for the first time Wednesday, pleading for sympathy.

Santiago Abraham Jr., 64, is charged with first degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of a 43-year-old unidentified man.

The incident happened around 3:15 a.m. Sunday on the 400 block of Broadway near RA Sushi.

Abraham’s attorney said it was self-defense, but the prosecutor said a security guard witnessed the two fighting and told them to stop.That’s when the prosecutor says the suspect seized the opportunity to deliver the fatal blow, stabbing the victim in the neck.

Judge David Szumowski set bail at $1 million, an amount that “prevents someone like this defendant from being out in the community and subjecting our community members to this type of violence,” Deputy District Attorney Melissa Vasel said.

When the judge asked if he wanted a bail review at a later time, the transient man responded.

“$1 million? I can’t afford it,” he said. “I make $1,135 a month. Maybe you can help me out. Sympathy from the court?”

“I’m not a sympathetic kind of guy on cases like this,” said Szumowski.

Abraham’s attorney says he does not have any previous violent offenses but does have misdemeanor charges from decades ago in Florida.

The knife he is accused of using was found in his pocket, according to the prosecutor, after he wiped off the blood.

Authorities said the victim was from out of town and had not lived in San Diego for long.

A trip out to sea for a Southern California couple celebrating their wedding anniversary turned into a trip to the emergency room after a 350-pound dolphin leaped onto the boat, knocking the woman over and injuring both her ankles.

Dirk and Chrissie Frickman and their two teenaged children were boating off the Dana Point Harbor on June 21 when a pod of dolphins swam alongside them. One of the dolphins jumped onto the 21-foot boat, hitting the railing and bouncing inside the bow.

Chrissie Frickman wound up pinned beneath the thrashing 6-foot dolphin until her husband pulled her free. The dolphin continued thrashing and bleeding from some cuts in the back of the boat.

"It was almost like it fell out of the sky because it was so high, like it was higher than I was. It was really traumatic," " said Chrissie Frickman, who broke one ankle and tore a ligament in the other.

For the next half hour, the Laguna Niguel family was in shock, trying to calm one another.

"The dolphin was kind of sliding all around the boat, so we were trying to anticipate which way it was going to go so we could go the opposite way," the mother said.

The dolphin was bleeding profusely.

"It kind of injured its nose and injured its tail, the blood kind of started splattering all over," Dirk Frickman said. "My daughter looked and was like, 'Oh my God, please don't let it die, don't let it die, don't let it die.'"

Dirk Frickman radioed the Sheriff's Department Harbor Patrol and told them what happened. The patrol responded and pulled the mother and the couple's daughter from the boat to get them to shore and an ambulance. Dirk Frickman continued into the harbor, occasionally pouring water onto the dolphin.

When he made to the harbor, two people helped get a rope on the dolphin and get it back into the water. The wounded animal swam away.

"I was scared for the dolphin," said Chrissie Frickman, a substitute teacher who is still in a wheelchair recovering from her injuries. "Like, I was kind of hoping it would just jump back out, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. I was scared for my kids, and, you know, you're like, 'Can they attack, how scared is it?' You know, just these crazy thoughts go through your head, but I'm sure it was just as traumatized as we were."

The Frickmans, along their 12-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter, were celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary and Father's Day.

San Diego animal shelters will no longer be allowed to euthanize any healthy or treatable animal that enters their shelter.

The move is a part of "Getting to Zero," the San Diego Animal Welfare Coalition (SDAWC)'s movement to eliminate unncessary euthanasia of animals in shelters. 

Any animal that is healthy or can be treated cannot be put down as of July 1, the SDAWC announced today in a press conference. SDAWC is comprised of seven local animal sheltering organizations and 11 shelters.

"We pledge that we are going to stay at zero euthanasia for this county, forever," said County Department of Animal Services 

The SDAWC had pledged to achieve “Getting to Zero,” a movement to eliminate unnecessary euthanasia of animals in shelters.

About 45,000 animals enter shelters every year and 13 percent with treatable medical conditions have been euthanized.

Animals suffering from terminal illness will still be euthanized if not adopted, but those that are healthy are no longer in danger.

Three men were arrested in Encinitas during an investigation into high-end bicycle thefts in the North County, officials said.

North Coastal Sheriff’s Station detectives arrested the men after serving a search warrant for the Royal Motel on the 1400 block of North Coast Highway 101.

Encinitas residents Jeffrey Scott Stevenson, 60, Emiko Nishida Sanderson, 54 and Billie Dee Estoque, 55 were arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and sale of a controlled substance. Estoque, a convicted felon, was also found with a firearm.

When detectives entered the motel, they said they found bike frames, expensive components, high-end bicycles, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

The seized items will be on display at the San Diego County Sheriff’s Crime Lab on July 9 at 9 a.m. The location of the display is at 5255 Mt. Etna Drive, San Diego, CA 92117.

Anyone with information about this case can call the Sheriff’s Department at (858)565-5200.

Activists set fire to the American flag at a Brooklyn park that memorializes thousands of Revolutionary War heroes Wednesday in protest of "systemic racism," though turnout was much smaller than the hundreds expected for the planned event, which had drawn the ire of lawmakers and residents across the five boroughs. 

A group called Disarm NYPD was to lead the protest at Fort Greene Park at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday -- but in a Facebook video posted around that time, the group said: "Last night we decided to take immediate action and burned the flag in Fort Greene Park" after "the usual suspects threw an impressive tantrum" over the flag-burning plans.

The video showed an American flag burning at Fort Greene Park's Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, but it's not clear if it actually took place at the park Tuesday night. 

The group had said it also planned to burn the Confederate flag in a rally against the country’s long history of systemic racism after nine people were killed in a historic South Carolina church earlier this month.

Several activists still showed up Wednesday evening to burn both the Confederate and American flags. A handful of people, their faces covered by scarves, set fire to one American flag near a grassy area, and then set fire to a Confederate flag and an American flag by the monument.

"Let that [expletive] burn," a woman could be heard saying. Others chanted the names of black men who have recently died at the hands of police.

Carlos Cabera, a member of Disarm the NYPD, said, "White supremacy, racism, colonial imperialism still exist, and they're only superficial differences compared with the Confederate flag and the American flag."

Police officers watched nearby but did not interfere because no law was broken, police said. It is legal to burn something in a barbecue grill, they said, which is what happened at the park. 

A group of pro-flag protesters, including about 30 people from a Brooklyn-based biker club, caught wind of what was happening and stormed over to pull the flag out of the fire. They clashed with the flag-burning group, and police followed the chaotic melees as the two groups ran through the park shouting and cursing at each other. 

There were no arrests, police said. 

While the intent of the demonstration may have been to open a dialogue about race, the focus for many was on the burning flag. 

"If you're going to burn the American flag, you're going to run the risk of running into people like me," said John Carroll of Ridgewood, one of the pro-flag demonstrators. "I will stand by this flag all the time." 

Diane Atkins said, "We believe in what the United States of America stands for, and the flag that people have died to protect it." 

The Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, a memorial to the more than 11,500 American prisoners of war who died in captivity aboard British prison ships during the Revolutionary War, sits at the center of the park, atop its tallest hill. The remains of some of those who died on the ships are interred in a crypt underneath the base of the war monument. 

That the protesters would burn the American flag in such a place of memorial doubled the outrage for some.

“It’s wrong,” state senator Marty Golden, a Republican from Brooklyn, said before the event. “It’s a wrong message to send to our children, wrong message to send to our communities. Just plain wrong.”

Golden said he was determined to stop the group, saying that burning anything in a city park is illegal. He said he called on Mayor de Blasio's administration to step in to stop the protest. 

De Blasio's office said protest is a "divisive, disrespectful way to express views, and does not reflect the values of our city." 

Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams said, "I am sympathetic to those protesting institutional racism in our society, but burning the American flag is a fringe act that will do nothing to combat the challenges we face."

The group responded to criticism in a statement on its Facebook page.

“We find it a sign of the times that people can care so much about a piece of cloth, while at the same time be so quiet about black churches being burned all over the country,” the group said.

"We do not believe the ideals of America are anything to be revered ... We dream of what real freedom looks like: freedom from paramilitaries occupying our communities, beating and killing our sons and daughters; freedom from our communities being destroyed by the speculative capital of gentrification; freedom from mass surveillance; and freedom from systemic racism," the statement continued. "So, we will burn the American flag, a symbol of oppression and genocide, and in the same action, dismantle our stunted, cynical expectations of what is possible in the world."

In the Facebook video posted Wednesday, it added: "It is important to remember that while the Confederate flag symbolized the defense of slavery, the institution reigned under the Stars and Stripes for nearly a century. After Jim Crow, segregation, and their current manifestations within the prison-industrial complex, it is clear that both racist flags deserve matches and lighter fluid."

In April, a group of artists hauled a 100-pound statue of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to the park in the dead of night and installed it on top one of the war monument's pillars. 

The intent, in that case, was to highlight those who sacrificed their safety to fight against "modern-day tyrannies," the group said. The statue was removed a day after it was installed.