People Kept Cutting Across His Lawn, So This Man Hatched A Master Plan

Thomas Lyons achieved the American Dream by purchasing a home with a sprawling property for his family to enjoy. Sadly, the property had a downside: people wouldn't stop cutting across his yard.

When politely asking people to stop didn't work, Thomas hatched a master plan that no one saw coming.

Thomas Lyons and The American Dream

Thomas Lyons was excited; he had just purchased his first home. It was a beautiful three-bedroom with a sprawling yard.

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The space was amazing, giving his kids room to run around and his wife a place to garden.

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The Front Yard Was A Point Of Pride

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While the house was lovely, Thomas was most excited about having a vibrant front lawn, something he would take care of and maintain.

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Little did Thomas know that the people in town had different plans.

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People Were Cutting Across His Lawn

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Not long after moving into their new residence, Thomas noticed something very strange.

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People would cut across his yard, making a little shortcut for themselves from one side of the sidewalk to the other.

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His Lawn Was Along A School Route

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Thomas began to notice a lot of kids cut across his lawn coming to and from school every day.

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His house must be along a school route and clearly kids cutting across this lawn was accepted as part of that.

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He Had To Do Something

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Honestly, Thomas wouldn't have been bothered by it if it wasn't for the fact that so many people crossed his yard on a daily basis.

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Because of this, Thomas knew he had to do something.

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He Installed A Camera

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First, Thomas had to make sure he wasn't over-exaggerating the number of people using his yard as their own personal shortcut.

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So, he set up shop, deciding to install a camera and count the people.

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30 Pedestrians, Eight Bikers, And Two Strollers

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He was amazed that in one day, 30 pedestrians, eight bikers, and even two people pushing strollers crossed over his front lawn.

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Thomas couldn't believe it, considering there was a sidewalk they could use.

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Even Motorcross Bikes!

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As if bikes weren't bold enough, people were dirtbiking on his property!

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There's a reason people take those bikes to the trails; they tear up any grass underneath of them.

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His Lawn Was Becoming Bare

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Due to all of the daily corner-cutters, one side of Thomas's front yard became bare and void of grass.

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This was Thomas and his family's dream, and he wasn't going to stand by while people ruined it with their laziness.

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First Solution: He Asked People To Stop

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So, Thomas decided to take the diplomatic route and politely ask people to stop cutting across his front lawn.

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It didn't work. People outright ignored his request and continued to walk across his lawn.

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His Friends Suggested A Fence

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Thomas told his friends about his issue, and they recommended putting in a fence.

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It was a great idea but way too expensive of an option, between supplies, time, and paperwork he would need to complete for the town he lived in.

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A Fence Wasn't An Option

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Fencing was off the table, so he needed to figure out another solution to ensure people stopped ruining his lawn.

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Days passed, and Thomas began to grow aggravated as he watched rude people use his yard as their own personal sidewalk.

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A Plan Started To Emerge

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While watching the corner cutters, Thomas began to hatch a master plan that satisfied both his lawn and his need to get back at the people.

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With his trusty camera in place, he got to work.

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First: A Motion Sensor

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The first order of business was installing a sensor that would blare an alarm if it was triggered.

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The second thing was too good to say, and Thomas just sat back and watched everything unfold.

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Thomas Waited In Anticipation

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Bright an early, the first person came to cut across Thomas's lawn.

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This time, Thomas didn't sit back in anger, but watched with a smile on his face because he knew what was about to happen.

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The Alarm Blared!

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The cutter moved across the lawn, setting off the sensor and making an alarm blare at full volume.

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If that wasn't enough to get her off the yard, then the next thing definitely did the trick!

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Next: The Sprinklers Went Off

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After the alarm went off, so did the lawn's sprinkler system! Thomas had it set at the highest level, soaking the cutter in cold water.

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Thomas sat back and watched as she fled, screaming.

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School Girls Cut Across On Their Way Home

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This wasn't the last person to fall into Thomas' trap, though.

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A group of middle school girls was the next ones to meet the sprinkler, cutting across the yard only to leave screaming as they were soaked with water.

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Another School Group Got Caught

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This group was luckier than the first because they were a bit closer to the sidewalk, so they had less time in the spray.

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Still though, walking on the sidewalk would've kept them completely dry.

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The Sprinklers Followed People All The Way To Thomas' Driveway!

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You can't say Thomas isn't a thorough person, because he set up the sprinklers to follow people all the way until they hit his driveway.

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Clearly he wanted them to know he was serious about this.

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Thomas Shared The Videos On TikTok

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Thomas was more than thrilled with how things ended, especially considering he had every shriek and squeal recorded on his camera.

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So, he went to TikTok, wanting to share his brilliance and the videos.

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"Take A Chill Pill"

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While a lot of people found the events amusing, some people actually criticized Thomas and how he approached the situation.

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One person wrote, "It's just a couple of people walking. Take a chill pill!"

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Some People Were All About The Trap

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Of course, Thomas was not going to stand for it. These people were trespassing over his yard, after all.

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One person came to his defense, though, saying, "It's not one person, it's MANY (every day), and it costs money to fix a lawn, especially if you live in an area that MAKES you have a certain look to your yard and home."

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One Of The Kids That Were Sprayed Had A Choice Gesture For Thomas' Camera

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As if he knew someone was watching, just as he got sprayed by the sprinkler one kid flipped off Thomas' camera.

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If he knew someone was watching then why cut across the lawn in the first place?

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Clearly The Kid Knew How Thomas Felt About People Cutting Across His Lawn

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Since the kid was bold enough to flip Thomas off, you could assume he was probably asked by Thomas not to cross the lawn before.

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Is his retaliation all fair in love and war? Or are we dealing with a lack of respect here as commenters were quick to point out?

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"My Job Is More Important..."

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Another person shot back, saying, "When someone is racing to the bus, every second counts. My job is more important than your stupid lawn."

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Thomas was not having it and his response was spot on.

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"There's No Excuse"

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Thomas wrote back, saying, "Then leave 5 minutes earlier. There's no excuse."

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"Would you let someone run across your backyard when there literally a full sidewalk only 5 feet away?? No. Stop being such an idiot."

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There Is Also A Legal Issue

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Then someone came up with a very valid point: people could sue him.

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The comment read, "When someone gets hurt on your property, they can sue you. Plain and simple. He has every right to keep people off his land."

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But What If The Sprinkler Is The Reason Someone Gets Hurt?

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As some commenters pointed out, while it's just water, to some people getting sprayed with water all of a sudden could cause an injury.

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If someone had heart troubles or difficultly with balance then a sudden burst of water could potentially cause a fall or a medical issue.

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Millions Of Views

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Thomas' videos garnered millions of views. Thankfully, the traffic of corner-cutters dwindled.

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People finally seemed to understand that they shouldn't walk across someone's lawn, especially Thomas', or else they'll be in for a cold and wet surprise.