Unexplained Boom Shakes Cape May Area, Not Linked to Earthquakes

Residents of Cape May reported a loud boom and shaking, not linked to any earthquakes. The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed no seismic activity. The boom may have been caused by a military T-38 Talon aircraft flying nearby, but local police received no advance notice from military bases.

On Monday afternoon, residents of the Cape May area experienced a loud boom and shaking, but no earthquakes were recorded by authorities on the East Coast. Social media posts began to surface around 3 p.m., with individuals querying if others had heard the disturbance.

The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed that there were no reported seismic activities east of Oklahoma within the previous day. The unusual noise and vibrations were noted in locales including Cape May, Cape May Courthouse, Villas, and Wildwood, with reports of feeling vibrations extending as far north as Lacey Township.

The cause of the coinciding sounds was speculated to be a military aircraft. Flightradar24 indicated that a T-38 Talon aircraft was airborne near the coasts of Maryland and Delaware around the time of the reported noises.

Cape May Police Chief Dekon Fashaw acknowledged awareness of the boom but noted that, although jets regularly traverse the area from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and other military bases, no notifications were received concerning the incident from military sources.

Furthermore, Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Virginia had issued a noise warning for training operations set between 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on the same day. Responses from Navy and Air Force officials were not available immediately following the incident. The T-38 Talon is a supersonic training aircraft utilized by both military branches to prepare pilots, according to official Air Force documentation.

In summary, a loud boom and shaking experienced by residents in the Cape May area on Monday afternoon was not associated with seismic activity. The likely source of the disturbance is attributed to a T-38 Talon military aircraft in the vicinity, although no official confirmations have been made by military authorities. Local police remain unaware of any planned operations that could have caused such disturbances.

Original Source: www.nj.com