After months of efforts to track down a tire slasher in the North Bay area, no real leads have surfaced, leaving police desperate to solve the puzzle. Damages from the incidents approach $1 million, frustrated officials are asking for public help to identify the person or group responsible for wreaking havoc on businesses and residents. “We can’t be everywhere. We’re trying. But due to the random nature of this, we do need the public’s assistance,” said Insp. Scott McFarlane with the North Bay Police Service. Coordinated response to widespread damage Police confirm that 24 incidents of tire slashing since 2020 remain under active investigation, with officers believing each case is linked to the same perpetrator or group. The random crimes, all committed at night, are believed to be the work of someone living locally, with the last incident occurring about a month ago. “We have confirmed at least one related occurrence in our patrol zone, which highlights a need for a coordinated response,” said OPP Const. Kyler Brouwer on Monday afternoon. McFarlane detailed the wide scope of the vandalism. “Individual occurrences have ranged from eight damaged tires to 700 damaged tires in a single incident,” he said. Substantial financial and operational toll The City of North Bay’s public works yard has been targeted multiple times, with the first occurrence taking place in 2023. This has resulted in significant operational delays and direct costs to taxpayers. “The part that’s most frustrating is it’s putting important equipment out of work,” said the city’s deputy mayor, Maggie Horsfield. “There are projects that the city’s working on that are now delayed. This is a direct cost to the taxpayer.” The total estimated damage from all incidents is just under a million dollars. “With the dollar value, this is probably one of the larger crimes that we’ve experienced in the area in a long time,” McFarlane said. Crime Stoppers announces reward In response, Near North Crime Stoppers announced on Monday that a $10,000 reward, from the city’s budget is being offered for information leading to an arrest. “Near North Crime Stoppers is committed to supporting the community in solving this case and we thank the residents in advance for their diligence and cooperation,” said board member Terry Parolin. Anonymous tips can be submitted online or by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
