Mystery Solved! How Hundreds of Pounds of Pasta Ended Up in NJ Woods

The materialization of 500 pounds of noodles in Old Bridge, explained.

Pasta in Old Bridge
An estimated 500 pounds of pasta mysteriously ended up in the woods in Old Bridge. Photo: Courtesy of Nina Jochnowitz
Pasta dumped in Old Bridge

An estimated 500 pounds of pasta mysteriously ended up in the woods in Old Bridge. Photo courtesy of Nina Jochnowitz

This too shall pass-ta.

Neighbors have put an end to spiraling social-media speculations surrounding the recent mysterious materialization of hundreds of pounds of pasta in a wooded area of Old Bridge.

According to NBC 4 New York, neighbors say the noodles came from a nearby house up for sale. A military veteran was reportedly cleaning out his late mother’s home, found a massive stockpile of pasta and disposed of it in the woods. A Ring security camera caught him removing the pasta, NJ.com reported.

Though the pasta appears cooked in since-viral photos posted to Facebook last week by Old Bridge resident and former city council contender Nina Jochnowitz, the pasta is said to have been dumped raw. Heavy rainfall over the weekend apparently softened and expanded it.

Pasta dumped in Old Bridge

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

“I really feel like he was just trying to clear out his parents’ house and they were probably stocked up from Covid,” neighbor Keith Rost told NBC 4 New York. “My grandparents always had a cupboard full of cans and pasta, just to be safe.”

The State Department of Public Works cleaned up the enormous mounds of spaghetti, ziti and elbow macaroni using 15 wheelbarrows, New Jersey 101.5 reported—but not before word spread far and wide, sparking plenty of pasta-centric puns, a Reddit thread and even a Facebook group, 500 Pounds of Pasta! A True Crime Story, described as “dedicated to determining who this macaroni dumper is.”

Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry said the case is now closed, according to NBC 4 New York.


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