Far way from Abbey Road, Sir Paul McCartney spent his Sunday afternoon strolling down Main Street Metuchen, snapping photos of the small Middlesex town.

John Manzo was driving down Main Street around 2:45 p.m. when he spotted McCartney, camera in hand, outside Buttery Bake Shoppe. He rolled down his window to say 'hello' to the Fab Four frontman, but wound up asking what we are all thinking: "What the hell are you doing in Metuchen?"

Manzo said he was "a bit taken back" to see McCartney, but the explanation is simple: His wife, Nancy Shevell, is an Edison native and J.P. Stevens graduate, and he was taking pictures of her home area.

"I said, 'you are awesome, and he said, 'no, you are awesome,'" Manzo told NJ Advance Media. Manzo said they kept the conversation short because Manzo's car was blocking traffic.

This is the first time Manzo, who has lived in the area for seven years and owns Be Our Guest catering, has seen someone this famous in town.

About two hours after McCartney was first spotted, a small group lingered outside the bakeshop taking photos and excitedly chatting about where he might have gone next.

Leo Aponte, who has lived in Metuchen for 15 years, said he's never seen someone as famous as McCartney milling about the town. When asked if he was a Beatles fan, Aponte laughed and said, "Who isn't!"

McCartney's visit is not the first celebrity sighting in the borough of about 14,000 people. David Zetino, who lives in an apartment across the street from Buttery Bake Shoppe, said he had seen David Copperfield around town. Copperfield is a Metuchen native.

Maura Flood, who works at Hailey's Harp and Pub, said as McCartney was walking down Main Street mostly unbothered, a girl with a ukulele was playing Beatles songs in the pub across the street.

Word of McCartney's tourist activities made way to Metuchen Mayor Jonathan Busch, who tweeted out, "As Spring is approaching, the Borough is getting reports of @thebeatles on Main Street. There is no reason for alarm. Everything is under control."

McCartney shot to fame as a member of The Beatles in the 1960s, but that was just the start of his career. He is considered one of the most successful musicians ever and eventually went on to be knighted by the Queen of England.

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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