Two tons of squid spill out onto Rhode Island roadway

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

“And here in Narragansett, we’re still recovering from The Squidpocalypse of ’26 — the spill that put ‘slippery when wet’ to shame,” according to local police.

A massive spill from a tractor-trailer carrying thousands of pounds of squid caused a roadway in Narragansett, R.I., to be closed for more than seven hours on Sunday. WJAR

Aug. 19, 2026, 12:31 PM EDT

A tractor-trailer tipped over and spilled two tons of squid onto a Rhode Island roadway, prompting an hours-long cleanup of what local police dubbed the “Squidpocalypse of ‘26,” officials said Wednesday.

The seafood smashup unfolded at about 9:27 a.m. Sunday in Narragansett, when the truck’s “trailer became dislodged from the cab and overturned onto its side” near Pt. Judith Road and Galilee Escape Road, according to a statement from Narragansett police.

The load had been headed for a processing facility when the spill occurred, police said.

Workers clean up the spill in Narragansett.WJAR

By Wednesday, with the cleanup complete, Narragansett police were having a laugh about the spill, writing in a social media update: “And here in Narragansett, we’re still recovering from The Squidpocalypse of ’26 — the spill that put ‘slippery when wet’ to shame.”

Police thanked several agencies for their role in the cleanup, including the Narragansett Fire Department and the state’s Commercial Enforcement Unit, Department of Transportation and Department of Environmental Management.

The intersection was closed for several hours as crews cleared the roadway, police said.

NBC News Top Stories wp:paragraph