An estimated 500 pounds of pasta mysteriously ended up in the woods in Old Bridge. Photo courtesy of Nina Jochnowitz
That’s a whole lotta pasta!
Hundreds of pounds of spaghetti, ziti and elbow macaroni were mysteriously dumped in a wooded area in Old Bridge—and stayed there long enough to be photographed—until the town’s Department of Public Works cleaned up the mess, according to reports.
Resident Nina Jochnowitz, a previous contender for city council, posted a series of bizarre photos to Facebook last week showing the massive mounds of noodles, which mysteriously showed up in a wooded area in town near a stream, she wrote.
Taking aim at the current political leaders in Old Bridge, she wrote: “The Mayor and his possy continue to ignore the Sixth Ward. No surprise when we see the dumping of construction and other garbage spewed in all of the neighborhoods. This week, there was a new type of dumping, of excessive food, PASTA.”
Social media users had a field day with posts, noodling around with just about every pun out there in their comments. Photo courtesy of Nina Jochnowitz
She told NJ.com that Old Bridge is the only town in Middlesex County without bulk garbage pickup—although that issue may be unrelated to the strange pasta situation.
The Department of Public Works removed the noodles and police were notified, according to NJ.com. Cops are investigating.
“We would estimate several hundred pounds of uncooked pasta that was removed from the packaging and then dumped along the creek. It looks like it was only there for a short time but moisture did start to soften some of the pasta,” Himanshu Shah, Old Bridge’s business administrator, told the site.
Police are investigating the strange situation. Photo courtesy of Nina Jochnowitz
Unsurprisingly, social media cooked up some pretty hilarious responses to the mystery.
“We should send the perpetrators to the state penne tentiary,” one person commented on Reddit.
“Lead suspect is a guy named Al Dente,” wrote another, prompting the response: “Don’t forget his partner Lin Guini.”
Another added: “Most New Jersey crime ever.”
Someone even started a Facebook group called “500 Pounds of Pasta! A True Crime Story,” describing it as “a group dedicated to determining who this macaroni dumper is.”