New Jersey

Mystery Deepens Around Human Bones Found in Bag at New Jersey Snack Shop

Employees at the Stateline Lookout food stand in Palisades Interstate Park stumbled upon the gruesome discovery when they arrived at work Monday morning

What to Know

  • Authorities say bones in a plastic bag found hanging on the door of a snack stand at a scenic NJ overlook have been identified as human
  • A source says a park-goer picked them up from base of a cliff and left them at the stand; more bones were later found at the cliff base
  • Anyone with information regarding the discovery is urged to contact the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cold Case Unit at 201-226-5500

The human bones discovered in a plastic bag hanging from the door of a snack stand at a scenic overlook in New Jersey earlier this week were left there by a park-goer who found them at the base of a cliff, a source familiar with the investigation told News 4 Friday. More bones have since turned up. 

According to the source, the unnamed park-goer picked up the bones at the base of the Stateline Lookout overlook in Alpine on Monday, stuffed them on the bag and left them on the door of the food stand. It's not clear why the bones were left there, or how they ended up at the bottom of the cliff, but investigators were able to make contact with the individual who found them and that person brought authorities back to the spot where the bones were initially found. 

More bones were discovered at that location, the source said. At this point, investigators have two working theories -- No. 1, the bones are the remains of a hiker who may have slipped and fallen; and No. 2, they are the remains of a person who committed suicide by jumping off the overlook. 

Missing persons reports are being reviewed as authorities conduct DNA testing to confirm the identity of the dead individual. 

Employees at the Stateline Lookout food stand in Palisades Intestate Park stumbled upon the gruesome discovery when they arrived at work around 8 a.m. Monday and immediately called police. They were identified as human several days later. Anyone with information is asked to call police or the Bergen County prosecutor's office. 

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