A late-night walk along a New Jersey beach turned into a viral mystery after a TikTok creator uncovered a decades-old message in a jar that appeared to reference love, obsession, and possibly even witchcraft.
TikTok creator Aaron shared the discovery after walking along Laurence Harbor Beach in New Jersey, a shoreline community in Middlesex County along the Raritan Bay waterfront. The group spotted a mason jar partially buried in the sand. Inside sat a sticky brown substance surrounding a photograph and a handwritten note. One person in the video pointed out the eerie message visible through the glass, noting it said: “Find me.”
The cinnamon and honey concoction
As they opened the jar, the group reacted with disgust and confusion. “Oh, EWW,” one person said. “What the hell, it’s cinnamon,” another added.
The substance appeared to contain cinnamon mixed with a sticky liquid that several people guessed was honey. The deeper they dug into the jar’s contents, the stranger the discovery became. Hidden inside was an old photograph and handwritten text that appeared to date back to December 1988. “Yo, this is actually kind of creepy,” Aaron said in the video.
The group carefully cleaned the photograph while trying to preserve the writing. Eventually, they could make out several phrases written on the back, including: “You want me, find me, come look for me, you are in love with me, show me off. One person also read what appeared to be a date: “12-19-88.”
Another name appeared alongside the message, though the handwriting proved difficult to decipher in the video. The group repeatedly referenced Amanda while examining the faded writing.
At one point, the conversation turned toward the possibility that the jar may have been tied to folk magic or a love spell. “What if this is some witch thing?” one person said.
Aaron agreed the discovery felt unsettling, especially given the age and the romantic wording inside the jar. “That’s crazy,” he said repeatedly as the group continued cleaning the contents.
What is a “honey jar” spell?
The TikTok quickly spread online, with many commenters suggesting the jar resembled a “honey jar” spell, a type of folk magic ritual commonly associated with attraction, reconciliation, or emotional attachment. Honey jars are traditionally used in folk magic practices to “sweeten” relationships or outcomes. Practitioners sometimes include photos, written affirmations, herbs or spices like cinnamon alongside honey or syrup.
Cinnamon, specifically, is often associated in folk traditions with passion, attraction, and luck. Combined with honey, the ingredients are commonly referenced in modern social media discussions about love spells and manifestation rituals.
In folk magic traditions, placing a “sweetening” or “honey jar” spell in a moving body of water, like an ocean or river, is deliberate. The movement of the tides and waves is believed to continuously “activate,” churn, and supercharge the spell’s energy.
Aaron and his friends debated whether to wash the photograph or preserve it as-is. “I can’t believe I’m touching this right now,” one person said. Eventually, they gently rinsed the jar while trying not to damage the paper. “I’m trying to preserve as much as possible,” Aaron explained.
Honey jar mystery solved?
The viral mystery of the decades-old “honey jar” love spell discovered on a New Jersey beach reached a dramatic breakthrough when TikTok user Vicki Lugo (@vicki_lugo) came forward to identify the woman in the photograph as her friend, Amanda Neves. Lugo revealed that while Neves is not typically active on social media, she is taking her sudden internet fame in stride, jokingly telling Lugo, “B—h, I’m the girl in the jar.” According to Lugo, Neves has no idea who created the 1988 ritualistic jar, prompting Lugo to playfully warn her friend that someone out there was clearly obsessed with her, and Neves is currently considering making a social media post of her own to address the internet’s fascination.
Published: May 22, 2026 09:01 am