FREETOWN, MASS. (WHDH) - Freetown police are asking residents to report if they’ve gotten flat tires after driving in town as they investigate screws that were intentionally scattered on a busy roadway.
For weeks, officials continuously found dozens of screws strewn about South Main Street multiple times, sometimes flattening the tires of passersby.
Police made an arrest in the case on Tuesday, taking 56-year-old Peter Vasconcellos into custody as their investigation continues, according to WPRI,
“For someone to do this, it’s vindictive – they’re not thinking right,” said one local who ended up with a screw in their tire.
The Freetown Highway Department said the road hazard was first brought to their attention when a local repair shop alerted them.
“He said ‘maybe you want to go check out South Main Street because I’ve had like eight flats in the last hour,'” said highway surveyor Charles Macomber. “Came in, checked it out – found maybe 50 screws.”
The highway department initially thought the screws must have accidentally fallen from a truck until they returned later in the afternoon and found dozens more scattered along the road.
Since then, the department has been taking to the street with magnets to pick up the screws quickly each day.
“I would be out here personally at 6 a.m. – I’d make a sweep,” Macomber said. “We’d do it at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and every time, we’d come up with screws.”
Police say the suspect lives near where the screws were found, with similar screws found in his vehicle as well.
Some in the area believe the suspect may have been targeting tractor-trailers heading towards a nearby Stop & Shop distribution center.
Responding to the incident, the company said it was “unfortunate,” and that none of its trucks or deliveries had been impacted.
According to police, Vasconcellos is facing three vehicle-related charges, including operating a vehicle with a revoked license, operating a vehicle with a revoked registration and uninsured operation of a vehicle.
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