On Tuesday morning, mysterious loud noises were heard in various locations in New York and New Jersey. Some people described the sound as resembling explosions, while others likened it to thunder. Currently, several speculations have been made by people, but none have been confirmed.
According to the Facebook page of “Tri-State Weather Forecast,” more than 300 posts from various locations in New Jersey, including Bloomfield, Cots Neck, East Hanover, Paterson, Highlands, Neptune, and Woodbridge reported the occurrence of mysterious sounds.
A person from Highland wrote on Facebook: “I initially thought it was thunder, then realized with the sunny weather, thunder was unlikely. So, I thought it was a big truck due to road construction going on in town.”
One netizen shared: “A huge explosion sound was heard in Boonton, scaring both dogs and cats.”
Another user in Ringwood mentioned: “Yes, I heard it. My house shook, and then my dog started barking and running around the house.”
Residents in Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Queens in New York City also reported hearing loud noises on Tuesday morning.
Staten Island Assemblyman Michael Reilly shared a possible explanation on his Facebook page: that military weapons testing was being conducted in Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey. He shared an alert from the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department:
“The loud noises may be related to the following notification shared by the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department: Activities at the Warren Grove Air to Ground Range are scheduled to occur between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. today (Tuesday). It is expected that sounds related to military weapons activities may be heard during this time.”
The New York City Police Department stated there were no confirmed reports of explosions; a spokesperson for the New York City Fire Department mentioned they responded to reports of an explosion at Brooklyn X Avenue and Batchelder Street at 11:22 a.m. but found nothing.
The United States Geological Survey received no reports of earthquakes in New Jersey or along the East Coast, and there were no thunderstorms on the radar at the time.
According to an ABC television report, the New York City Emergency Management Department also received reports of the loud noises in New York City and New Jersey; on Tuesday afternoon, people speculated that it might have been caused by a meteor.
Between 11:16 a.m. and 11:20 a.m., the American Meteor Society listed over 20 sighting events. Additionally, meteorologists believe that heatwave and high temperatures may have aided in the propagation of the sound, as air molecules with higher temperatures possess more energy and vibrate faster, allowing for faster sound wave propagation.
However, further details explaining the phenomenon remain unclear.
In recent years, unexplained loud noises have been heard in various parts of the world, with people sharing the sounds they heard locally online. Many sounds resemble rumbling of thunder, horns from the sky, and even low growls of wild beasts… Various theories have emerged in response to these phenomena.