Dangling dummies shock Las Vegas commuters

(CNN) -- Mannequins hanging from nooses on two Las Vegas billboards Wednesday were part of an apparent publicity stunt that led to dozens of calls from drivers on their morning commute, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

The dummies were dressed in business suits and hung from signs reading "Dying for work" and "Hope you're happy Wall St." It wasn't immediately clear who was behind the stunt.

One mannequin dangled above Interstate 15 near the intersection with U.S. 95 downtown, Trooper Jeremie Elliott of the Nevada Highway Patrol told CNN. The other hung from a billboard about a mile from the famed Las Vegas Strip, he said.

Both highways are some of the most highly traveled roadways during commuter hours, he said.

Elliott called it a "clear case of vandalism" and said the owners of the billboards had not sold the ad space to anyone.

"Somebody vandalized the sign to do that," Elliott said.

Despite the flurry of calls from commuters, Elliott said the signs led to no accidents on the freeways.

"If there would have been, our involvement would be much deeper," he said.

The first calls came in at 6:30 a.m. (9:30 a.m. ET), Elliott said. Lamar Advertising, which owns one of the billboards, removed one of the mannequins a couple of hours later; code enforcement officials from Clark County removed the second one, Elliott said.