HOLMDEL, NJ – A New Jersey fisherman fooled the Asbury Park Press and others who ran with the APP story without fact-checking on their own with a tall tale about catching a 135-pound tuna near Sandy Hook in a 12-foot boat. He even detailed being dragged four miles while trying to reel in the massive catch.
The entire story was a fish tale fabricated by the prankster.
Steve Nosti, a 28-year-old from Holmdel, admitted to fabricating a story about catching a giant bluefin tuna in Raritan Bay, claiming it was just “a big joke” intended to amuse. His confession appeared on his Facebook page after the story was already published by the Asbury Park Press and circulated widely across social media.
The report also sparked an investigation by a conservation officer at the State Department of Environmental Protection. The fishing tale, which would have required a Highly Migratory Species permit to be true, has now been exposed as a hoax.
On Monday, Nosti claimed to have caught the tuna using his 12-foot aluminum Jon boat at the Sandy Hook Rip, a junction of currents from the Atlantic Ocean and Raritan Bay.
He supported his claim with photos and a video that appeared to show the fish.
The fishing community has reacted negatively to the deception.
Paul Haertel of the Jersey Coast Angler’s Association criticized Nosti for taking the hoax too far and involving the media. Many in the community, including charter boat captains and tackle shop owners, felt betrayed, wishing the story had been true.
Further investigations revealed inconsistencies in Nosti’s account. While Nosti maintained that he caught the fish during his day off from a charter company, Evan Bremner of Pleasure Bay Yacht Club, who took photos of the alleged catch, could not confirm witnessing the event.
The connection between Nosti and Bremner remains unclear.
