On Tuesday, there were online reports of an unexplained explosive sound followed by a fireball streaking across the sky in several states, including New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
According to the New York Post and ABC 7, around 11:10-20 a.m., a report was submitted to the American Meteor Society (The American Meteor Society) stating that a “fireball” had fallen in the skies above Manhattan.
William Cooke, head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, cited a report estimating that the fireball was first observed around 10 a.m. It initially appeared at an altitude of 49 miles (78 kilometers) over Upper Bay. Moving from north to east at a steep angle of about 18 degrees, it passed over the Statue of Liberty and disintegrated 29 miles (46 kilometers) above midtown Manhattan.
At the time, residents reported hearing a loud “boom” and feeling the ground shake. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which monitors earthquakes, investigated the seismic data and confirmed that the vibrations were unrelated to an earthquake. Authorities explained that such vibrations typically have an atmospheric origin and often resemble a “sonic boom.”
Posts speculating about the cause continued to emerge on online platforms like Facebook and Reddit. Some questioned whether it might have been due to military drills.
When NBC New York asked the Department of Defense if the phenomenon was related to military training, they replied, “No military training that would cause vibrations and loud noises across three states has been confirmed.” The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also stated that it was not due to an aircraft, as only military aircraft could cause such an impact.
After compiling several reports, NASA concluded that a meteor caused the phenomenon. No debris or meteorites had fallen to the earth’s surface due to this event.
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