The maple syrup mystery plot has thickened.
A sickly sweet odor that first wafted across Manhattan in 2005 had people sniffing the air again Monday night as 37 callers in just three hours reported the smell to the city’s 311 information line.
It’s at least the third time the aroma – described as a mix of pancake topping and hazelnut coffee – has sweetened New York’s air.
Inspectors, dispatched from the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, couldn’t identify its source. “It’s still a mystery,” said Office of Emergency Management spokesman Chris Gilbride.
The calls to 311 tracked the smell drifting from the Upper West Side, across Central Park and into the Upper East Side, said Gilbride. One caller reported it in Queens.
Tests in 2005 deemed the scent harmless and likely from a New Jersey food processing plant.