TRAVERSE CITY (WWJ/AP) - Officials at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore say large quantities of broken glass have been strewn along a Lake Michigan beach.

Leelanau District Ranger Andy Blake said Tuesday it appears thousands of pieces were spread deliberately near the Good Harbor Picnic Area at the east end of Lake Michigan Road in Leelanau County's Cleveland Township.

Blake said the glass wasn't dumped in one spot but was spread "fairly uniformly up and down the beach for several hundred yards."

(Credit: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore)

Park Superintendent Scott Tucker called it a "mean-spirited crime" that was "clearly intended" to injure beachgoers.

Park staffers and volunteers walking the beach and removing as many pieces of glass as they can find. Officials note that glass containers are not allowed on park beaches.

“I am outraged by this act that is clearly intended to injure visitors to the National Lakeshore," Tucker said, in a Facebook post. Thousands of pieces of broken glass do not appear on the beach without malicious intent. I hope our visitors and the local community can help identify the person or persons who would deliberately harm our beachgoers, including children.”

A similar incident happened along another area beach in October 2017.

As an investigation continues, anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 231-326-4805 or email andrew_blake@nps.gov.