Investigation Underway After Large Rocks, Oil Thrown From Overpass Onto I-35 North Of Twin Cities

Some troublemaker(s) created a downright scary situation for Minnesota drivers on Interstate 35 north of the Twin Cities recently, and now authorities are looking for information on the incident.

The Chisago County Sheriff's Office shared late on Sunday night that they had received multiple reports of drivers on I-35 in the Rush City area having their vehicles hit by objects thrown from an overpass. Some of those objects were large rocks.

Making things worse, a "significant amount" of what seemed to be motor oil had been dumped onto the roadway in the same area of the overpass, making it dangerously slippery.

Photos from the sheriff's office showed empty jugs of 2-stroke marine oil and diesel engine motor oil in the area of the overpass, consistent with what was reportedly on the roadway.

The sheriff's office said these incidents happened at the 530th Street (County 3) overpass of I-35, just north of Rush City.

KARE 11 spoke with two people who experienced the scary scene. Two 17-year-olds returning from a fishing trip up north say they saw a "watermelon-sized rock" bounce off the ground right in front of them that they couldn't avoid and struck it. They said their vehicle was totaled by the damage caused by hitting the rock.

Another person was nearly hit by a bowling ball-sized rock falling from the overpass. The boulder landed just in front of them and bounced up and through the bumper, causing damage.

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Those were just two of the several vehicles the Chisago County Sheriff's Office says were damaged by falling rocks. Officials didn't disclose whether or not anyone was injured or any crashes occurred due to the oil on the roadway, but it's easy to see how this is a very scary situation.

While I would have been passing through a little earlier in the day, I decided on a whim to head back north from the Twin Cities to the Duluth area on Sunday by taking "the scenic route" through Wisconsin. Based on this, I'm glad I decided to do that!

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Sunday night's incidents marked the second day that the sheriff's office says they received reports of this happening at that overpass. They said they are working with the Minnesota State Patrol to gain access to a camera the MSP operates in the area. They are also looking for any information the public has on the incidents.

They ask anyone with info to call the county's dispatch office at (651) 257-4100.