UPDATE: Sonic Boom Confirmed Friday Afternoon

Mallory Metzner & Cody Decker
Mallory Metzner
Evening Broadcast Journalist

Mallory was born and raised in Lewes, DE, where she lives today. She graduated from Sussex Tech High School and the University of Delaware. Mallory interned at WRDE in 2017, started reporting in 2018, and is now one of the station's evening anchors.

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Jan 13, 2023
Jan 13, 2023 Updated Jan 13, 2023

sonic

SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - People are reporting hearing a loud boom or explosion. Some say they saw things shake Friday afternoon.

According to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, there was at least one aircraft today that went supersonic along the east coast and one sonic boom reported. This happened along the supersonic flight test track off the coast of Delaware, Maryland, and southern New Jersey.

Public Affairs Officer Patrick Gordon told WRDE that a sonic boom or "going supersonic" is when an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound and breaks the sound barrier, which causes a tremendous change of air pressure. Most sonic booms are not seen or felt, but atmospheric conditions can be just right so they are felt. Gordon says as far as he knows it was only one boom and that is occurred around 2:45 p.m. Friday, but may have been earlier.

The United States Geological Survey told WRDE earlier in the afternoon that all of the descriptions sounded like a sonic boom.

Paul Carusso, a Seismologist at USGS, says their equipment has not recorded any seismic activity, but they have received multiple calls from Philadelphia to Delaware between 2 and 3 p.m. Friday. Carusso says there is no damage to report at this time.

Conversation Peace Jewelers Owner Ingrid Handle says she was with a customer when the shaking occurred.

"I had merchandise fall out of my window displays," Handle said. "My customer held on to a showcase and we wondered what the heck was happening."

Nancy Sauer who lives on Turtle Pond Drive in Rehoboth Beach says she felt it in her home.

"All of a sudden the entire house shook and rumbled," Sauer said. "I mean loud, loud rumble. And my chair actually moved. It is a swivel chair but it actually moved me."

Blooming Boutique in Lewes tells WRDE their front windows shook when a school bus went by, but they knew that it couldn't have been from the bus.

Dover Air Force Base says it only had normal training activity today and nothing that would've created this loud boom.

Mallory Metzner

Evening Broadcast Journalist

Mallory was born and raised in Lewes, DE, where she lives today. She graduated from Sussex Tech High School and the University of Delaware. Mallory interned at WRDE in 2017, started reporting in 2018, and is now one of the station's evening anchors.