While one of our commenters on the initial story we posted about the mystery machine might have been off with his “flux capacitor” guess, one of our readers was spot on. The Mesa Transportation Department announced that the 1,000-pound steel machine was identified as a part of a tablet press used to make pharmaceuticals.
“Thank you to everyone who emailed or called offering suggestions as to what the piece of equipment could be,” Mesa Transportation Department public information officer Kimberly Nelson said. “I literally got hundreds of suggestions, most of them serious but a few that were pretty funny. The public’s interest and response was amazing. It just goes to show that people love a good mystery.”
On top of solving the mystery, the department also was able to determine who owned the machine and how it ended up on the side of the road. The owner was transporting the machine through the city when it fell from his vehicle.
