DRIVERS were warned that a dangerous stunt could have caused serious consequences.
Someone had planted spikes that were found on several roads for unsuspecting vehicles to run over.
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Hundreds of nails were stuck point-up along several roadways in Cape Cod early Friday, according to the Falmouth Police Department.
At 2 a.m., a Massachusetts police officer identified close to 480 nails that were placed across four Falmouth roads, including Clark Street, Old Barnstable Road, and Prince Henry Drive, as reported by the NY Post.
Even more nails were found pressed into patches of tar across the roads, scattered across sidewalks, and spread up driveways in the area.
Some were even purposely placed under the tires of parked cars.
Authorities still don’t know who could be behind such a risky stunt.
Authorities scrambled to clean up the nails as neighbors pitched in to avoid any auto accidents.
Rick Murphy, a neighbor, walked up and down the roadway with a large magnet for any nails that could have fallen into the nearby grass.
“I dragged it back and forth on a road down there,” Murphy said.
“It could have created an awful accident.”
“You know, a blowout, car goes off the road, hits a tree or a pole,” he added.
Residents were shocked at the nature of the crime, saying this was something they had never seen before.
“I’ve heard of mailboxes getting smashed, but never nails being left on the road,” neighbor Kathy Hartford told NBC affiliate WBTS-CD.
The police had knocked on her door that morning to inform Hartford that her driveway was covered in nails.
“They told me they saw nails in my driveway and up the street, and surrounding my car,” she added.
I dragged it back and forth on a road down there. It could have created an awful accident.
Rick Murphy
Although authorities haven’t identified a culprit yet, residents have several theories on who could have crafted such a scheme.
One man believed that the local auto shop could have planted the nails, forcing drivers whose vehicles were impaled to get the damage fixed at the closest car shop.
“My first suspect would be the local tire salesman,” he wrote on the Falmouth Police Department’s Facebook page.
Others said it could have just been children who were up to no good.
“Kids with nothing better to do,” they said.
Authorities have asked the public to reach out with any information that could help them identify the perpetrator.
The Falmouth Police Department did not immediately reply to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.