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Thumbtacks found scattered along Newton bike path

NEWTON - Newton residents are speculating someone is targeting bicyclists in a Newton bike lane after multiple tacks were found scattered and laying face up.

The bike lane in question is located on Winchester Street, and cyclists are now alerting each other in fear this could spread to other bikes lanes in the city.

"There's hundreds just perfectly aimed up," said Scott Tambascio, a supervisor at Landry's Bicycles. "It's malice that takes time out of your day, that's incredible that someone would go through that effort."

Trambascio learned about the tacks from a fellow employee, who began plucking them from the pavement after finding three in her tire.

The woman who found the thumbtacks  apparently strategically placed in the bike lane is now  using social media to spread the word and warn others of the potential danger.

Trambascio was also alerted about the tacks from a second bicyclist, Mike Afergan,  who walked into the shop for repairs on Wednesday morning.

"It pisses people off, they don't want to come here and spend money on flats when they could be out riding," said Trambascio.

Afergan fell victim to the tacks on the road, and had to come into the shop to fix his tires.

"When I went over the bump I felt a bump, I've gotten many flat tires before, I've never heard a pop," said Afergan. "It's distressing that somebody would take so much time to be so malicious."

This isn't even the first instance where people have found tacks on the road. Because this has happened once again within such a short amount of time, bicyclists believe they're being targeted by someone.

Avid cyclist Henry Finch told Boston 25 News he found about 100 thumbtacks pointing upright near the same location back in April.

"Clearly someone had put them there," said Finch. "There's always somebody that comes by you and says 'get off the road, they're not for bicycles,' and yells and screams - it's rare but it only takes one."

Parts of Winchester Street where the tacks were discovered on both instances, were recently re-striped to better accommodate cyclists. Some are worrying the tacks on the road are a retaliatory act.

Newton Police said they have not received any formal reports in the latest case.