Old Bridge pasta mystery apparently solved
Update: This story has been updated to reflect that the DEP is not involved in the case, as was stated in the original report.
OLD BRIDGE – The mystery of how 15 wheelbarrow loads of pasta ended up along a creek by Hilliard and Mimi roads appears to have been solved.
According to NBC 4 New York, neighbors said that the pasta came from a nearby home that is for sale.
A military veteran moving out of his mother's home after her death seemingly found a stockpile of old food that she had kept in the house and apparently dumped it along the creek.
Mayor Owen Henry told NBC 4 New York that the case is closed, according to the report.
But in an email statement from a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson, the agency said it is "not involved in the matter regarding dumped pasta in Old Bridge and has not been notified about it. Please direct your query to the municipality."
The story garnered national attention after township resident Nina Jochnowitz posted several photos on Facebook on April 26 of mounds of pasta dumped next to the stream by Hilliard and Mimi roads.
The Department of Public Works went to the site and found what appeared about 500 pounds of illegally dumped pasta.
"Once the report was generated, two public works employees arrived to clean the area. They were able to load all of the pasta in under an hour and properly dispose of it," Old Bridge Business Administrator Himanshu Shah said. "We would estimate several hundred pounds of uncooked pasta that was removed from the packaging and then dumped along the creek."
Shah said the pasta had not been cooked but had been there only "for a short time but moisture did start to soften some of the pasta."
Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com
Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Old Bridge pasta mystery solved
