SALISBURY — More than 20 years ago, smashing mailboxes was a common vandalism report, then it eased up a bit for a while, but this week, it was back in style for at least four juveniles.

Thursday morning about 2 a.m., Salisbury police received the first of what have been dozens of calls reporting damage to mailboxes. The first call was from a Confederate Avenue homeowner who heard a loud crash, then more noises, and when he looked out, he saw the mailbox had been damaged.

More calls came in as the minutes passed, from multiple areas, including Bethel Drive, Mahaley Avenue, and in the Westcliffe neighborhood, among others. Friday morning, more reports had been filed as people discovered the damage to their mailboxes in daylight or as they returned home.

But on Thursday morning, as police were responding to the initial calls, an officer saw four people in a pickup on Enon Church Road. Suspicious, the truck was stopped, and officers found a bit of wood from one of the broken mailboxes and a baseball bat in the truck. The four people in the truck have been identified as juveniles whose parents were contacted and to whom they were released.

The full extent of the damage is still being investigated as reports continue to come in, say police.