Sonic Boom Rattles New Jersey Saturday Morning

Residents in southern New Jersey reported feeling the ground shake and hearing a loud noise on Saturday morning after what officials have acknowledged was a sonic boom.

The United States Geological Survey and the National Weather Service both confirmed that there was no earthquake in the area at that time, prompting an investigation into the strange incident, reports The Examiner.

Growing speculation by experts through out the morning suggested that the strange incident was actually a sonic boom, but Air Force personnel with Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst stated that no activity was going on that could have caused the shaking.

A spokesman for the base, Pascual Flores, spoke with the media on Saturday, saying, “There currently is no training of any type that would have resulted in today’s incident.”

Residents in Atlantic, Cape May, Ocean, Salem, and Camden all felt the shaking and heard a boom around the same time. The USGS also reported a sonic boom on their website, with a question mark next to it, as they had not confirmed what happened.

The Star-Ledger later reported that Cumberland County emergency officials and the Sea Isle City Police Department confirmed the sonic boom, saying that it occurred because of military aircraft, which were flying over an area of water in South Jersey.

The sonic boom occurred 11:03 am EST, which is about the same time residents reported hearing the sound and experiencing earthquake-like shaking. Officials conformed the sonic boom, saying that it was a “non-incident,” and that they are not planning a follow-up at this time.

Officials did not report the exact location where the sonic boom took place.