Vineland Businesses Deflated After Nail-Spreading Bandit Strikes Again

VINELAND, N.J. (CBS)--Employees at Compass Wire Cloth in Vineland are feeling deflated and frustrated after someone spread roofing nails across the entrance to the parking lot early Tuesday morning, blowing out more than two dozen tires.

"Just what possesses people to do things like that?" wondered Rick Wydra kneeling beside his Mustang with an air compressor Friday afternoon.

Vineland police don't know why – but are getting closer to who.

They've released surveillance pictures of a denim-clad man on a motorcycle spreading nails at Seren IPS Inc, another business about 2 miles away, where the same type of nail incident damaged employee vehicles last weekend.

Turns out the nail bandit has been to both places before.

It's been 4 years in a row at Seren and 3 years at Compass – each time around Easter.

"First year we were pretty sure it was a disgruntled employee that we had let go so we didn't pursue anything with the local police," says Compass COO Michael McGrath.

Now after two more nail incidents they are hoping police can catch the man.

"It's been a real interruption for us, it could have caused some real harm to some people driving home," says McGrath.

Anyone with information should call Vineland Police at (856) 696-1212 and reference case # 17-23789.