New Jersey's Pasta Mystery Has Been Solved

UPDATE May 7, 2023 8:30 AM CDT

It appears the mysterious New Jersey pasta dump has been solved. Neighbors tell NJ.com that a Ring security camera captured a man cleaning out piles and piles of uncooked pasta from his mother's home in Old Bridge after she died. “There was so much of it, he was probably a bit overwhelmed,” one tells the outlet. Neighbors say they don't want to identify the man because they say he meant no harm. The man dumped the dry pasta in the woods near a stream, and subsequent rain made the noodles look as if they had been cooked.

May 5, 2023 2:32 PM CDT

Authorities in a central New Jersey town say they don't know who dumped hundreds of pounds of pasta near a stream, but they're no longer worrying about it. Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry said Friday that the spaghetti, noodles, and macaroni was cleaned up last week by public works crews, per the AP. The odd sight quickly drew national attention when photos of the pasta were posted on social media. The estimated 500 pounds of pasta was apparently raw when it was dumped, but subsequent heavy rains softened the food and made the mounds look like they had been cooked, officials have said.

It's not believed the pasta had been at the site for long before it was discovered. Henry said the pasta did not cause any environmental damage or health issues, and he considers the matter closed. “It certainly shouldn’t have ended up in the woods—putting in or near the stream bed was not the best idea—but I certainly hope our police are not putting more time into this” he said. “Assuming the pasta was still usable, I wish it had ended up in our food bank, which could have really used it.” (More strange stuff stories.)