Woman Discovers Message in a Bottle Washed Up on Ocean City, NJ Beach

There's a mystery brewing at the Jersey Shore after the discovery of a bottle on the beach in Ocean City, NJ that held a message.

Message in a Bottle Stumps Discoverer in Ocean City, NJ

It's a rare find stirring up excitement in the community and sparking curiosity about the note's origins and the identity of the sender.

According to Philadelphia Inquirer, a 49-year-old woman from Haddon Heights in Camden County, New Jersey named Amy Smyth Murphy was strolling the beach near Corson's State Inlet in Ocean City when she came upon a green vintage glass bottle.

The bottle was reportedly corked and contained a note inside.

Back at her family's Ocean City shore house, Smyth Murphy was able to uncork the bottle and extract its message.

@asmythco Thanks for waiting - here’s the message! #messageinabottle #historytok Video Editing: @Blknwht_tech ♬ original sound - A Smyth Co

Has Camden Co., NJ Woman Found the World's Oldest Message in a Bottle?

Through some research, Amy traced the bottle itself to Barr & Brother Philadelphia, which could be as old as the 1870s, Philadelphia Inquirer reports. As for its content, the paper appears to be a business card of some sort from Philadelphia-based W. G. & J. Klemm Manufacturers and Wholesale Dealers in Gents Furnishing Goods.

On the card's backside, however, was a handwritten message. It reads, 'Yacht Neptune off Atlantic City, New Jersey. Aug. 6 - 76.'

Get our free mobile app

Smyth Murphy tells The Inquirer she believes what she discovered could be the world's oldest known message in a bottle, and she's been chronicling her sleuthing on TikTok. If her estimation is correct, it would unseat the oldest one already on record with Guinness from 1888.

Amy says she intends to search for and follow clues to solve the mystery of this bottle message.

Now, for a bold dose of nostalgia, check out New Jersey's most colorful home for sale that will take you back to the 1960s below!