Mysterious, earth-shaking booms have been reported in recent weeks by dozens of Bordentown and Hamilton residents.
And authorities are at a loss to explain them.
The latest boom jolted residents at 10 p.m. Monday. Did anyone just feel that loud rumble?
Prior explosion noises were heard on March 19 at 9 p.m. and on March 17 – when residents reported hearing several booms in succession during the span of an hour. Finally, inhabitants in adjacent Hamilton Township in Mercer County also reported hearing the noise.
The most likely culprit, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, says it wasn’t them. While the military base routinely hosts artillery training on weekends and warns residents in advance, the mystery booms have come at odd hours and on weekdays when the range is inactive.
The sounds are similar to those described in 2012 by residents in Manchester, Ocean County, where window-rattling booms plagued that area during the summer months and into the fall, according to news reports. Those explosions ceased soon after, without explanation.
