CALEDONIA, Mich. — The Kent County Sheriff's Office is investigating after someone threw objects at moving vehicles in the Caledonia and Middleville area, damaging dozens of cars over the span of multiple nights.

Police say the incidents occurred on several separate evenings, and because of the volume of reports in recent days, they are not certain of the exact dates. Deputies believe the incidents are related even though they took place in different locations.

Victims who spoke with news outlets described being struck while driving home. Brent DeYoung recalled being on 100th Street last Friday night when his windshield shattered. "All of a sudden my windshield exploded," he said. "Something came out of nowhere and scared the crap out of me. It hit my passenger side windshield, and thankfully it shattered all over the front."

Cory Timmer said she was driving south on M-37 when something hit her vehicle. "I slammed on the brake and was in shock at first," she said. "No one stopped. No one asked if everything was fine when I pulled over."

Both DeYoung and Timmer had been heading home after the Caledonia-Hudsonville football game the previous Friday night. Each initially believed they had struck an animal, but that theory quickly fell apart once they inspected the damage in the light.

"There were no feathers or blood from an animal, and there wasn't anything in there," Timmer said. "So I didn't really have any idea what it was."

Police say they are not the only victims. The Kent County Sheriff's Office confirmed that several cars in the Caledonia and Middleville area show similar damage, including busted windshields and dented hoods. Dozens of drivers have also posted to social media about similar experiences while traveling on M-37, particularly near the D&W Fresh Market.

Authorities have not confirmed exactly what was being thrown, but both victims and people online believe the objects were full water bottles.

"I'm just wondering why," DeYoung said. "Why someone would go out and do all that just to mess with other people and break other people's property."

Timmer cautioned against treating the incidents as harmless pranks. "Pranks are fun, but you can't damage property and it can't hurt people," she said. "It could have been a lot worse. I was thankful that it wasn't."

Deputies have provided limited detail on the investigation's progress, saying only that they have leads and are reviewing camera footage along with automatic license plate reader data. The sheriff's office is asking anyone with additional information to come forward.