Not a UFO or meteor: Strange sound in NJ explained

⭕ The noise was heard around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday

⭕ A fireball also streaked across the sky

⭕ One does not appear to be related to the other

The mystery sound heard all over New Jersey on Tuesday morning was likely the result of a sonic boom.

The sound described as thunder or a loud truck going over a bump around 11:15 a.m. occurred as a fireball was streaking across the New Jersey at about 38,000 mph. It first appeared over New York City before heading west, according to NASA.

The appearance of the fireball was likely just a coincidence.

Naval Air Station Patuxent River Chief Petty Officer Patrick Gordon told New Jersey 101.5 that an aircraft launched from the Maryland base late Tuesday morning.

"It was an aircraft that reached supersonic speed in compliance with the rules of the test track, the air space off the shore, which means that it was within 30 miles of the shore," Gordon said.

He didn’t know what kind of mission the plane was on or the type of aircraft.

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What is the Atlantic Test Track?

The Atlantic test track is an oval area 3 miles off the coast of New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland used for the performance of specific flight tests, including those that require supersonic speeds.

"Although most sonic booms generated in this area are never felt or heard on land, occasionally a sonic boom will be felt or heard due to weather conditions or the details of the test flight," the base said on Facebook.

Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society said that the fireball could have generated a noise if some fragments survived in the lower atmosphere

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