New Jersey woman discusses bizarre vandalism after pepperoni scattered around home

Manville, New Jersey native says home of almost 20 years has never been targeted before

A New Jersey homeowner says she has identified some salami-slinging "bandits" while police continue investigating why they sprinkled pepperoni slices outside her home in a case of vandalism. 

"What is this?" Heather Dougherty told PIX 11 she thought to herself last Wednesday morning when she made the discovery. "I am on camera so I cannot say the words I exactly used, but ‘what is this?’ From the door to the edge of the porch and then strategically placed down the stairs, to the driveway and four slices on the hood and four slices on the trunk."

The Manville native has lived at her home on South Street for 16 years, and it has never been vandalized before, she told the local news station. 

"We’re trying to figure out who goes around with two loaves of pepperoni in the middle of the night and cuts it up into slices and throws it on people’s property," Dougherty said. "You have nothing better to do with your time?"

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Pepperoni outside NJ home

Large pepperoni slices are shown outside a New Jersey woman's home on the morning of Jan. 24, 2024. (Heather Dougherty/Local News X/TMX)

The meat was not just spread around her home, but also her car, causing her to worry about the paint job since it's unknown how long the greasy product often used on pizza was sitting there. 

Dougherty posted pictures of the scene on Facebook with the description, "The Bandits, as I call them, have been identified by myself. The police are still investigating, and charges are pending the outcome of such police investigation."

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Pepperoni slice size

Photo shows how large the pepperoni slices strewn outside Heather Dougherty's home were. (Heather Dougherty/Local News X/TMX)

Local pizza shop owner Anthony D'Aniello told PIX 11 the meat looks larger than the kind commonly used on pies.

"Certainly, of the family of pepperoni, salami. Exactly what, I cannot be certain," D’Aniello said. "As an Italian, it hurts the heart." 

Large pepperoni cut by hand

The pepperoni slices involved in the alleged vandalism look like they may have been cut by hand. (Heather Dougherty/Local News X/TMX)

Pepperoni on patio

Slices of pepperoni appear to be all over Heather Dougherty's patio. (Heather Dougherty/Local News X/TMX)

The Manville Police Department did not immediately respond to a Fox News inquiry about the alleged crime.  

"It is funny, however, it’s wrong," she said. "You should not be trespassing; you should not be vandalizing people's properties." 

Authored by Pilar Arias via FoxNews January 30th 2024