Your Flat Tire May Not Have Been An Accident - Police Arrest a Man They Caught In the Act of Purposely Placing Nails On Roadway to Cause Flat Tires In This Neighborhood

If you pick up a nail once in a while while driving, don’t be surprised. Somehow, nails, screws, and other metal bits seem to find their way first onto our roads and then into our tires. Often, the outer tread block of the tire, which means it cannot be repaired. But what if those nails were not accidentally dropped or randomly spilled by a contractor’s truck? What if they were placed there intentionally to flatten your tire?

That’s exactly what police in one Tampa Bay, Florida community say has happened. After many drivers reported multiple flat tires over a long period of time, they set up a sting operation to see if they could catch whoever might be sprinkling nails and screws onto area roadways.

One victim told WFLA News:

I had three nails. The first, then a day or two later, another one or two. It was about a nail per week on average, minimum. I struggled for two years straight to build a business and have an amazing record, but when you have to constantly cancel or change appointments, that has a massive effect on your business and reputation.

Other residents who suffered flat tires walked the streets, picking up nails on the roadway by the bagful. After an investigation lasting many months, police say that they were able to observe a man scattering nails, and they caught him red-handed with a bucket of nails and no good excuse for having them. Police say he fessed up and told them he had a grudge against law enforcement.

Tires today can approach $300 each, even for mainstream vehicles. While they are sometimes repairable, tires with a puncture in a sidewall are usually not able to be repaired. Also, tires that have been driven on while deflated are often damaged, and that damage is only visible from the inside. Tire repair expert Jay Condrick, of Boston Mobile Tire, told Torque News:

Few people realize that the only proper way to repair a tire is to remove it from the rim and start with an inspection. Nobody is ever happy to hear the tire can’t be saved, but your safety depends on sound tires.

Torque News recommends that all drivers have a flat tire plan. In 2026, every top-selling vehicle in America has trims with spare tires except one - Tesla’s Model Y. Being towed due to a simple puncture is never a good plan. Have a portable pump, temporary repair tools, and a spare tire if possible. Always have a AAA or a roadside assistance plan membership, and keep that information handy.

Have you had a flat tire recently? Tell us about how you dealt with it in the comments below. 

John Goreham is the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and an expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his fourteen years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on LinkedIn and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. John employs grammar and punctuation software when proofreading, and he sometimes uses image generation tools. 

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