Ohio family purchases US flag shredded by Hurricane Florence

CINCINNATI (AP) — An Ohio family says they bought the U.S. flag captured on a live camera as it was being torn to shreds by Hurricane Florence to honor the memory of a family member who recently died from cancer.

Mike Caruso, of Cincinnati says his family was motivated by the tattered flag’s ordeal during the hurricane, and it also reminded him of his brother, Charlotte resident Kevin Caruso. Kevin Caruso died Sunday, just hours before bidding on the flag closed.

Mike Caruso says the purchase was also motivated by online commentators nicknaming the flag “Kevin.”

The flag earned a national reputation while flying off the coast of North Carolina on the Frying Pan Tower, a former lighthouse that is now an inn.

The family won the auction for $10,900.