Streaking, Booming Meteor Shocks South Jersey in Broad Daylight

Did you see it? Did you hear it?  A loud booming noise and a streaking bright fireball in the afternoon sky on Tuesday afternoon?

Close to two hundred people across the East Coast checked in with the American Meteor Society by 5m Tuesday to say they had witnessed what they believed to be a meteor on Tuesday afternoon.

According to the American Meteorological Society, there were about 100 reports as of 3 pm Tuesday and about 200 reports by 4 pm from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and other Northeast states.

According to NASA, the meteor first became visible around 2:34 p.m. at an altitude of about 48 miles above the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Mastic Beach on Long Island.

Traveling southwest at roughly 30,000 mph, the fireball eventually disintegrated about 27 miles above Galloway Township.

Most sightings happened in five minutes between 2:35 pm and 2:40 pm on Tuesday, when people reported seeing a bright flash in the sky, with some saying they had seen several green-colored fragments streaking across the sky for several seconds.

In addition to New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, reports of meteor sightings were submitted from Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

People in South Jersey Report Seeing a Fireball on Tuesday

The AMS, which tracks meteor sightings, reported sightings in towns scattered around New Jersey, including Atlantic, Gloucester, Burlington, Camden, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren counties.

On Facebook, several South Jersey residents reported hearing a loud boom and said their house rattled at the time the fireball was zipping across the sky.

Local reports of a fireball spotted on the AMS website included Lacey Township, Medford, Winslow Township, and Lower Alloways Creek. There were also reports from Philadelphia, New Hope, and West Chester, PA.

How Common Are Meteor Sightings in NJ?

Visible meteor sightings are fairly common in New Jersey, with casual observers spotting "shooting stars" on most clear nights. Brighter fireballs are reported several times a year across the state, often captured on home security cameras.

Daytime fireballs, which are bright enough to be seen by the American Meteor Society and the public during the day, are relatively rare, with reports coming in 5 to 10 times a year.

However, thousands of fireball-class meteors enter the atmosphere every day, but most occur over oceans, unpopulated areas, or are drowned out by sunlight.