After posting about that earth-shaking boom we heard from Cape May to Ocean/Monmouth Counties this week, I got some really fascinating feedback from our listeners who experienced it first-hand. In particular, a North Wildwood woman reached out to me with some insightful observations and photos that support my theory of what happened.

In case you missed the original post about what that BIG boom was, here ya go:

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
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What Was That Earth Shaking Boom In New Jersey Yesterday?

So what was that massive boom so many of us heard yesterday afternoon?

It brought back some memories because as a kid I grew up near Picatinny Arsenal and I remember hearing some massive explosions that would shake the ground and this was very similar.  I was curious about what caused it...

Lots of us in Central Jersey, The Jersey Shore and South Jersey have been talking about this 'shake and boom'.

People reported hearing it in Cape May, Ocean, Burlington, Middlesex and Salem counties.

I was unsure if it was a man-made boom or something to do with the weather. I asked my contacts at The National Weather Service and they were like, “nope…not us”.  Huh...so what actually happened?  I don’t know about you, but when the earth shakes, I feel like an earthquake is a natural assumption.

It turns out that sound may actually have been a "sonic boom". Yes, a sonic boom...so what in the heck is that?

Wikipedia says:

A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to the human ear.

Why does it happen?

NASA says an aircraft actually causes the sound and the shaking to go along with it because the sound waves are that powerful. It is actually "supersonic".

So what do you think? Does that assessment fly with you? Or do you think it was just the aliens?!?!? 👾

UPDATE:  North Wildwood Woman Offers More Insight On The Big Boom:

Hi Shannon,

I wanted to reach out in regards to the article about the boom that happened yesterday in North Wildwood NJ.

I 100% would confirm that what we heard and felt was a sonic boom.

I live less than a block from the ocean in North Wildwood and was on the phone with a friend when this occurred. I immediately jumped onto several radar maps I follow and what no one is mentioning doesn’t surprise me.

There were military aircrafts directly above us and miles out were 3 fighter jets. Closer inland was a DC-10 air refueling military aircraft. I have screen shots with time stamps if anyone wants to reach out and post an honest article as to that blast yesterday. One of those aircraft’s broke the sound barrier and living that close to the ocean was pretty scary.

I am a former flight attendant with lots of experience with aircrafts.

Those of us who were near the ocean heard the “Boom” and shook my condo on third floor pretty good, while friends inland felt more like an earthquake. No doubt I instantly knew this was more than just an earthquake.

Lisa

Here Are Listener Lisa’s Photos From The Big Boom Event And Her Guess At What Happened: 

Sonic Boom Likely Cause Of Blast Heard Throughout New Jersey

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