By Tim Binnall
Authorities in New Jersey are investigating a very strange mystery wherein someone dumped hundreds of pounds of pasta along the side of a creek. The bizarre case reportedly came to light last week when resident Nina Jochnowitz shared photos of the massive mounds of macaroni, elbows, and spaghetti that had been found inexplicably left next to a stream in the community of Old Bridge. Noting that the wooded area is frequently used as a dumping ground for sizeable pieces of garbage and construction materials, she lamented that the piles of pasta represented something of a new low and called on town officials to clean up the mess, which she estimated to be around 500 pounds in total.
Jochnowitz's jaw-dropping images quickly went viral, spawning all manner of pasta-related puns from people online and, fortunately, it caught the attention of the Old Bridge Department of Public Works, which descended on the scene and removed the tasty trash. Detailing the job in a statement, the department confirmed that a whopping "15 wheel barrel loads" of the food had been illegally dumped in the area. While police are trying to determine who left the pasta next to the creek, one aspect of the mystery may have been solved as the DPW revealed that, contrary to initial speculation, the food was apparently uncooked and had actually been "removed from the packaging" when it was left in the woods, where it became soft due to moisture in the air.