The mystery of a massive “pasta dump” that took the internet by storm in early May was solved Thursday, NBC New York reports.
A city council candidate discovered hundreds of pounds of pasta on the banks of a stream in suburban Old Bridge, New Jersey, according to NBC New York. One neighbor suggested the mysterious mounds added up to about 200 pounds of spaghetti and alphabet noodles.
Estimates vary, however, as one Twitter user suggested the pasta amounted to 300 to 400 pounds:
someone very mysteriously dumped 3-400 pounds of pasta in the woods in old bridge, nj …… i need to know everything pic.twitter.com/z6D1e7u2JJ
— pasta girl (@worrystonee) May 2, 2023
The pasta was reportedly dumped raw in late April but became saturated due to heavy rains over the weekend, making it look as though the food was cooked.
While the mess was reported to the town’s public works department, local residents solved the mystery themselves, according to NBC New York. Neighbors told the outlet the pasta came from the home of a recently deceased woman who lived nearby. Her military veteran son reportedly found and dumped the pasta as he was preparing to move out after her death.
“I mean, 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 the outlet.
The public works department cleaned up the mess, and both the mayor and New Jersey’s Environmental Protection Agency agreed there was no need to investigate further, NBC New York reported.