NOT AN EARTHQUAKE: Mysterious sonic booms shake NJ (UPDATED FREQUENTLY)

UPDATE, 5:30 p.m.: Sonic booms were likely caused by test flights out of Maryland.

UPDATE 4:10 p.m.: William Yeck, a research geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told New Jersey 101.5 it would be unusual to experience several sonic booms in a day.

UPDATE, 3:35 p.m.: A public affairs official at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst said no aircraft at the base was capable of making the seeming sonic booms felt throughout New Jersey Thursday, and officials were still investigating.

Kryn Westhoven, spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Military Veterans Affairs, said he's spoken to all military units in New Jersey, and none of are reporting any activity that could have caused the booms.

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New Jerseyans were scrambling for information Thursday afternoon after a series of tremors — first felt from Ocean County down to the southern edge of the state, and then much farther north.

Several callers to New Jersey 101.5 and residents on social media reported feeling the ground shake multiple times after 1 p.m. Newer reports on social media suggested tremors could be felt as far north as Long Island and Connecticut.

"We got 5-6 tremors here in Strathmere!" Lorraine Gessner Hansen wrote to New Jersey 101.5 on Facebook. "Definitely all over town. We're at Riordan Real estate and everyone is reporting the same."

Julie Dutton, geophysicist with US Geological Survey, said shortly before 3 p.m. that based on waveforms seen Thursday, officials don't believe the incidents to have been from an earthquake. The USGS reported shortly afterward that a sonic boom — the first of several — had been registered at 1:24 p.m. near Hammonton. Officials have not yet pointed to any cause.

"We've seen several signals over the past couple of hours that are consistent with a sonic boom," William Yeck, a research geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told New Jersey 101.5. "They look like they'er traveling at the speed of sound in air. We don't have any evidence that would suggest that they were earthquakes."

Yeck told New Jersey 101.5 it would be unusual to experience several sonic booms in a day.

"We have not seen anything like this recently," he said.

A spokesperson for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst said no operations that would cause such a boom were taking place. A public affairs official later said no aircraft at the base was capable of making a sonic boom, and officials were still investigating.

State Police told New Jersey 101.5 around 2:30 that they were still investigating the incident.

A caller to the New Jersey 101.5 newsroom who identified herself as Kim, and said she lives in Toms River, said "My entire house shook. Everything shook."

Diane in Barnegat, who called the Deminski & Doyle show Thursday, said she'd felt shakes six times, starting at 1:25 p.m.

“I thought it was a bad wind storm but there were no trees rustling. Then the glasses on the shelves started to shake," she said.

They got stronger with each shake, she said.

"Felt the shake 5 times between 2:19 and 2:36 (in Berlin)," Steve Czarkowski wrote to New Jersey 101.5 via Facebook.

"We felt it twice in the last 15 mins on the second floor of an office building in Shrewsbury. The flowers on my desk shook slightly and there was no sound," Bonnie Brookes wrote.

Garvin in Whiting, who lives in a trailer near the Berkeley Township line, said he was home when the earth shook: "It felt like a big truck going by. Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Sue Moll, morning show host for WOBM, said at 2:20 that she'd felt Bayville shake three times.

"So, I'm not crazy," Dianne DeOliveira, morning news anchor for WOBM, wrote in an email to New Jersey 101.5. "Saw my garage door shaking, thought someone was in my house...then a few minutes later...a rattle again...I walked outside...earthquake?"

— Reporting by Toniann Antonelli, Annette Petriccione, Louis C. Hochman and Dan Alexander

Categories: New Jersey News