Hundreds of pounds of cooked pasta mysteriously dumped in New Jersey woods

Piles of pasta mysteriously dumped in New Jersey woods

Imagine going for a leisurely hike and stumbling upon mounds of pasta in the woods. 

It seems highly unlikely, unless you were recently walking near the river basin in Old Bridge, New Jersey, where hundreds of pounds of cooked pasta were dumped in the area last month. Their origins remain a mystery.

Nina Jochnowitz, who ran for city council in the town of about 66,000, posted images of the piles of pasta in a Facebook group, thanking the public works department for cleaning up the estimated 500-pound mess. 

Nina Jochnowitz, who ran for council and is passionate about cleaning up the environment, posted images of the mysterious pasta piles. Nina Jochnowitz for Old Bridge

In her post, she criticized the mayor, saying he ignored the situation. Jochnowitz ran on a platform of cleaning up the waterways and environment in the town and wants to improve waste and recycling services with new initiatives like bulk pickup. CBS News has reached out to Jochnowitz and is awaiting a response. 

While the visual of spaghetti and macaroni becoming one with nature is off-putting, many found humor in the peculiar sight, including Jochnowitz, who called it "Mission Impastable."

Most of the pasta was spaghetti and macaroni. Nina Jochnowitz for Old Bridge

In a Reddit thread dedicated to New Jersey, many people shared pasta puns. 

"We should send the perpetrators to the state penne tentiary," one person joked.

"Lead suspect is a guy named Al Dente," another commented.

CBS News has contacted the Old Bridge mayor, city council, police and public works department for more information and is awaiting a response. 

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