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Last week, nearly 500 pounds of pasta was dumped next to a stream in New Jersey’s Old Bridge. Nina Jochnowitz, a resident of the Middlesex County township, shared photos of the pasta dump on social media. Neighbors have likely solved the mystery of who might have discarded the pasta in the woods.
A man from the neighborhood was caught cleaning out uncooked pasta in a Ring security camera. Nina said the man is a military veteran whose mother recently died. He came across his mother’s hoard of dry pasta and likely got rid of it in the woods due to its sheer quantity.
Nina, who had previously run for the town council in the sixth ward in Old Bridge, said that the man probably got a bit overwhelmed because there was so much pasta.
A photo of the pasta dump was shared on Reddit on May 5, 2023, and the post said that the mystery was solved. One user jokingly called the man the "Veteran Vermicelli Villain" and demanded justice for him.
Internet users tweet hilarious responses to the man dumping pasta in New Jersey woods incident
Once news of the pasta mystery being solved spread, netizens came up with their comic reactions to it. Though they did not write anything negative about the man who was possibly behind the pasta dump, several people were curious as to why he cooked the pasta before disposing of it.
Though it was reported that the pasta mystery was likely solved, a few people came up with hilarious conspiracy theories. News outlets, including Daily Loud, The New York Times, No Jumper, Barstool Sports, The Associated Press, and a few others shared the story on Twitter.
Old Bridge Residents on the pasta dump mystery
Residents of Old Bridge found about 15 wheelbarrow loads of cooked pasta along the stream in the area of Mimi Road and Hilliard Road near Iresick Brook. Officials said that it was illegally dumped. Photos of the heaps of pasta began circulating on several local Facebook groups. After this, residents contacted local police to investigate the matter.
The piles of macaroni and spaghetti were cleaned up by the Old Bridge’s Department of Public Works. However, the pasta was not cooked by the man who dumped them. Himanshu Shah said that they were likely tossed dry but started to soften due to moisture and rain.
Keith Rost, a resident who moved to the neighborhood last week, said that some residents initially thought that the mounds of spaghetti were hay. After visiting the sight himself, Rost witnessed rain pouring down on the heaps of dry pasta. Although Rost found the situation a little funny, he expressed his concerns about the man who did it.
Nina Jochnowitz stated that she had been in contact with the man and his family and refused to mention his name. Referring to the man’s military career and the loss of his mother, Nina said that she did not want him to relive the trauma. Town officials also declined to disclose the identity of the possible pasta dumper. Old Bridge’s business administrator Himanshu Shah said on Friday:
“I cannot confirm it nor (do) I have any information from our police department.”
Nina said that she hopes for the attention on the pasta mystery to die down soon.
