Mystery boom across three states sparks chatter about unregistered meteor

Earthquake ruled out after homes rattled by ‘thumping’ sound

A booming sound heard and felt across three US states has raised questions over what caused the strange phenomenon.

Dozens of people reported hearing a “thump” or loud bang on Sunday morning across New Hampshire and parts of Massachusetts and Maine, two neighbouring states.

Limited shaking as well as lightning and a “bright flash” were also reported on social media, although the US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded no earthquake.

Neither has the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) taken responsibility, and there were thought to have been no military flights in the area.

Eileen Cheever, of Luneberg, Massachusetts, told WMUR TV that “A little after 11.30am we heard a loud boom and a really subtle shake to the point that I thought that either my husband had dropped something on the garage, or he thought I had dropped something in the house”.

“The first thing was a huge thump like a very heavy person had landed on their heels, on our second floor,” added Richard Bossart, of Weare, New Hampshire. “We called up to our son on the second floor and he immediately replied ‘wasn’t me’.”

The boom was heard in more than 40 towns and cities in New Hampshire according to WMUR TV, as well as those in the two neighbouring states.

Dan Brian, a resident of New Boston, New Hampshire told The New York Times that his house “rattled”.

He also highlighted that he lived near the New Boston Space Force Station, which was recently transferred from the Air Force to the Space Force. It is believed to track satellites.

John Ebel, an environmental scientist from the Weston Observatory in Boston, New Hampshire, told WMUR TV that there was “nothing on our seismic stations” and could rule out an earthquake.

He said it was possibly a “meteor, meteorite” that broke upon entering the atmosphere and caused “enough energy to be released that people heard it here down on the ground.”

There was no reported damage or official reports of a meteor.

The Independent has approached the US Space Force for comment.