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Mystery of Abandoned Boat Left on Side of New Jersey Highway Solved

South Brunswick, New Jersey, police had tweeted a picture and video of the boat asking 'Do you know the owner?'

South Brunswick Police have unraveled the mystery behind why a 37-foot boat was found on the side of busy Route 1 in New Jersey Thursday afternoon.

The boat, it turns out, was recently sold and in the middle of a road trip from Mamaroneck, New York, to a marina in Maryland.

The driver transporting the boat to Otter Creek Marina, Christopher White, told police he started to experience mechanical difficulties on the road. Around 1:30 p.m., White inexplicably decided to leave the boat on the shoulder of the highway and return to Maryland to get a new trailer, police said.

"White left the boat on blocks and headed to Maryland to get a new trailer," South Brunswick police Capt. James Ryan said in an email. "White could not explain why he never notified police or any authorities about leaving the boat."

The saga surrounding the vessel, named Maraliya and formerly out of Larchmont, New York, quickly spread after police took to Twitter asking the public for help.

The South Brunswick PD tweeted a picture and video of the boat asking 'Do you know the owner?'

After five hours sitting on the highway shoulder, a tow truck came to cart away the boat.

White was issued to summonses for failure to notify police of a disabled or abandoned vehicle and for obstructing the passage of vehicles. Police said the boat on blocks caused a minor car crash "from drivers watching the boat as it was on the highway."

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