A brief tale of despair was scrawled on a fake vehicle inspection sticker discovered by state troopers based in Endwell.

New York State Police posted a photo of the handwritten message on social media Wednesday.

Inside the yellow block where official text normally would be found was a note in capital letters that read: "NEW YORK STATE. SORRY LIFE SUX. INSUFFICIENT FUNDS & A BABY."

The state police Facebook entry offered few details about the "sticker." It said troopers operating out of the Endwell station "were conducting another investigation when they caught something off about this inspection sticker..."

The agency provided no information regarding where the vehicle was discovered or whether troopers attempted to ascertain the well-being of the owner.

The state police social media post quickly received more than 1,000 comments, many from people expressing concern for a person who may be encountering serious financial difficulties.

One woman wrote: "It's a sad reality many are facing today and I'm not ashamed to admit we're almost in the same boat between bills, meds and fuel costs."

Another woman commented about the agency publicizing the bogus sticker: "State police posting this. It's a sad economic time and think them posting it is sad. Obviously this person wasn't able to get the car inspected didn't have the money to fix the repairs. How about we cut the guy a break or something so trivial. There are real criminals out there to attend to. I hope only a warning was issued in this case."

99.1 The Whale logo
Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

See the Must-Drive Roads in Every State

LOOK: Route 66’s quirkiest and most wonderful attractions state by state

Stacker compiled a list of 50 attractions--state by state--to see along the drive, drawing on information from historic sites, news stories, Roadside America, and the National Park Service. Keep reading to discover where travelers can get their kicks on Route 66.

More From 99.1 The Whale