A Tuesday evening commute turned into an orange obstacle course after a pickup truck lost pallets loaded with tubs of cheese balls on the westbound 105 Freeway in Lynwood, California.
The spill occurred shortly after 5 p.m. on Aug. 25, just west of the Long Beach Boulevard on-ramp. Roughly 120 containers tumbled onto the roadway, scattering hundreds of the bite-sized snacks across several lanes and slowing traffic during the evening rush.
Footage posted to the Citizen public-safety app, which can be seen on ABC 24/7 Live, showed orange cheese balls covering the freeway as vehicles carefully moved through the debris. Several tubs appeared to have burst open after striking the freeway, while others remained sealed among the scattered cargo.
The California Highway Patrol responded to the scene as the spilled snacks created a traffic hazard. The pickup truck believed to have been carrying the load was seen stopped along the side of the freeway. Authorities did not immediately explain what caused the pallets to fall, and it remained unclear whether a collision was involved.
Drivers Reportedly Stop for Snacks
The incident became more complicated when some motorists reportedly stopped on the freeway to collect containers that had not broken open. CHP officials said those drivers added to the delays and created another danger in an already congested area.
Stopping in active freeway lanes can expose motorists to fast-moving traffic and make it harder for emergency workers to reach a scene. Reports of people quickly retrieving the intact tubs became one of the most talked-about details of the unusual spill.
Crews worked to remove the containers, loose cheese balls and other debris from the freeway. The cleanup temporarily disrupted westbound traffic, but officials later said all main lanes had reopened.
No injuries were reported in accounts of the incident. Officials also did not immediately provide an estimate of the lost cargo’s value or say whether the driver would face any citations.
Facebook Users Snack on the Humor
The spill quickly became a source of comedy on the Facebook comment section. One commenter joked that motorists collecting tubs were “helping clean up,” while another blamed their actions on getting “hangry” in Los Angeles traffic.
Commenters also leaned into cheese-focused wordplay. One exclaimed, “Cheese us Christ!” while another declared, “It ain’t easy being cheesy.” The reaction was anything but mild, as users milked the unusual traffic incident for laughs.
Others compared the scene to Hungry Hungry Hippos and predicted that mice would be “throwing a party.”