You may notice Newton Centre roadways are suddenly decked out in countless tire marks.

The unwelcomed markings are the scars of a bizarre incident last week in which an unexpected—and very illegal—street racing incident unfolded there.

As a quiet Saturday night drifted peacefully into Sunday morning, suddenly the Newton Police Department started getting calls about 100 cars that had shown up in Newton Centre and were speeding around, racing and burning tires.

When police units arrived on scene, they saw more than 100 vehicles fleeing the area, according to police reports, and at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Centre Street, police saw people in their vehicles filming the chaos, honking their horns and yelling profanities.

“NPD officers were able to stop and cite some of the drivers, but many fled the area,” the department posted on social media.  “Although this does not happen often in our area, this driving behavior is dangerous!”

Street racing in Newton is indeed rare, which is what makes such a large impromptu illegal racing event so shocking.

“This behavior is dangerous and illegal,” Lt. Amanda Henrickson said. “Our hope is that this is an isolated incident in our area. However, now that residents are aware, if they see similar events in the future, we ask that they contact our department right away.”