Police find guy who left 37-foot boat on Route 1 in South Brunswick

SOUTH BRUNSWICK — The mystery of the abandoned boat on Route 1 is solved.

The 37-foot boat was left on the southbound side near Beekman Road on Thursday afternoon on a trailer propped up by cinder blocks.

The boat caused a minor crash between two cars as their drivers rubbernecked at the sight. The afternoon commute was also slow through that area.

Police Capt. James Ryan turned to social media to locate the owner and posted pictures in hopes of figuring out how and why it was left.

The boat, it turns out, had recently been sold to Otter Creek Marina and Boat Transportation in Maryland and was being taken there from Long Island, according to Ryan.

The trailer developed mechanical problems and the driver, Christopher White, 49, of Forrest Hills, Maryland, offloaded the boat onto the shoulder and continued to Maryland to get a new trailer.

Ryan said that White could not explain why he didn't contact police about leaving the boat. He was ticketed for failure to notify police of a disabled or abandoned vehicle and for obstructing the passage of vehicles.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.