1,000 face masks tossed onto interstate spark free-for-all, California cops say

A man in a pickup truck bed inexplicably tossed boxes holding more than 1,000 paper surgical masks onto a California interstate Wednesday afternoon, tying up traffic, KPIX reported.

Drivers who stopped to snatch up some of the masks as they blew across Interstate 880 near Union City in the San Francisco Bay Area were part of the problem, California Highway Patrol officers reported on Facebook.

A man in a white truck dumped the boxes of blue-and-white paper masks on the interstate about 1:40 p.m. Wednesday, the East Bay Times reported. He hasn’t been identified.

“We obviously don’t advise people to stop on a freeway and retrieve these things,” said CHP Officer Dustin Kennerly, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

“Reports say this guy had boxes of masks and was dumping them, but there were no markings on the box,” Kennerly said, according to the publication. “These people didn’t know if the masks were brand new or previously used.”

CHP officers blocked the interstate while a Caltrans sweeper cleaned up the mess, KRON reported.

CHP Officer Damian Cistaro said the masks were mostly a visual hazard for motorists, the East Bay Times reported. Traffic lanes reopened about 2:40 p.m.

Surgical face masks have been in short supply since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States.

This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 8:44 AM with the headline "1,000 face masks tossed onto interstate spark free-for-all, California cops say."