Teenage Scavenger Hunt Sparks Outrage and Property Thefts Across Norwood-October 2, 1990

During the dead of night, they pilfered stop signs, hauled away a USA Today newspaper box, and even tried to kidnap a Noid.

Teenage boys operating in teams of four and five swarmed through Norwood on Saturday night on a rowdy scavenger hunt—a growing adolescent fad that has sparked widespread anger among town officials and local property owners.

“It’s against the law,” Selectman Thomas Riolo said. “Fun is fun, but now we’re getting kind of ridiculous. This is stealing… This is costing the town money.”

The Hunt for the Elusive “Noid”

Perhaps the most coveted trophy of the night was a 7-foot stuffed barn-red Noid with large floppy ears—the animated advertising mascot for Domino’s Pizza. Doug MacLeay, owner of the Domino’s Pizza store on Washington Street, found his business targeted by at least three separate groups of teenagers throughout the night.

Armed with ratchets, ladders, and their parents’ cars, the teens scoured town for items from a master list, trying to beg, borrow, or—most frequently—steal objects within a fixed time limit to rack up point values.

MacLeay had purchased the promotional mascot from Domino’s for $245 as a lobby attraction. Having thwarted a previous “Noid-napping” attempt a year prior, MacLeay had secured the doll by anchoring it to a heavy wooden chair with a wire rope. However, that didn’t stop one determined team on Saturday from grabbing the Noid by its feet and attempting to drag it out, chair and all.

Store employees and a police call forced the teens to abandon their mission and flee. “They told me it was worth 300 points,” MacLeay said, noting he is looking into even stricter security measures.

Missing Traffic Signs and Public Frustration

While the Noid escaped capture, public infrastructure was not as fortunate. When residents woke up Sunday morning, several critical street signs were missing, including:

• Stop signs from Fulton Street, Sumner Street, and Willett Parkway
• A “No Left Turn” sign from Willett Parkway
• “Parking Only” signs from Mid-County Bank
• A breakfast and pizza sign from downtown

No arrests have been made, though Norwood Police spokesman Paul Bishop stated that authorities do not believe the teens attend Norwood High School. MacLeay reported that some of the participants mentioned attending Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood.

Police noted that such scavenger hunts have become an increasingly popular and disruptive phenomenon in town over the past three years. Selectman Riolo, who had not previously encountered the trend, vowed that municipal authorities would crack down on the illegal thefts.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger