Photos Show Thousands of M&M’s Scattered Across Highway A…
M&M’s have been on a roll lately, from dropping a brand-new Honey Roasted Peanut flavor to teasing a bakery-inspired lineup coming next year. But the candy brand is back in the news for something a little less intentional — turning part of a New Jersey highway into a sugar-coated mess.
On Monday, September 15, a tractor-trailer packed with M&M’s reportedly slammed into a parked truck on I-80 West in Knowlton Township, ripping open both trailers and spilling candy across the road.
“Engine 41-63, Rescue 41-73, Tanker 41-71, Car 41, and Atlantic EMS 15-51 responded,” Knowlton Township Fire & Rescue wrote on Facebook. “A single tractor-trailer was parked on the West-bound shoulder near the 2.4 mile marker. Another West-bound tractor-trailer, carrying a full load of M&M candy, rear-ended the parked vehicle tearing open both box trailers and spilling cargo over the roadway.”
Along with the update came photos of the scene: loose M&M’s and busted boxes scattered across the shoulder, the colors popping under floodlights while crews worked with state police and DOT staff to keep traffic moving.
State Police Trooper Christopher Postorino later told local station 94.3 The Point that the truck carrying the candy had a tire issue around 10:17 p.m., which caused the driver to lose control before hitting the parked rig.
Initial reports mentioned a possible fire, but that turned out to be a false alarm. The two truck drivers were evaluated on site and both declined medical treatment, according to NBC New York. Westbound lanes stayed closed while New Jersey State Police and DOT crews oversaw the detour and cleanup, which wrapped just after midnight.
Of course, it didn’t take long for the internet to weigh in on the sticky situation.
“When people ask what started the great peanut m&m shortage of 2025, historians will point to this,” one person wrote.
“What a sweet accident! Just in time for Halloween! ,” said another
“I hope no one had a peanut allergy ,” chimed in a third.
“Cleanup would have been much faster if they just let drivers park and pick,” someone else pointed out.
“Ummm, any M&M’s left???” another asked.
The good news: no one was hurt. The bad news: thousands of M&M’s were left unsalvageable on the asphalt. Between the new flavors hitting shelves and the photos of candy blanketing I-80, M&M’s are having quite the week — on and off the highway.