Hundreds Report Seeing Fireball Shoot Across NJ Skies

NEW JERSEY — A bright light flashing across the skies Monday night caught the eye of many residents in New Jersey and across the East Coast.

The American Meteor Society had more than 230 people in the eastern U.S. report seeing the bright fireball, sometime between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Monday evening.

On the AMS website and an online New Jersey astronomy group, many residents reported seeing a greenish light streak through the sky, while others say they saw more traditional reddish or white fireball.

One of the Taurid meteor showers was at its peak on Sunday and Monday. This long-running meteor shower is known for bright fireballs, so it's possible it was one of those meteors that people saw in the sky.

Places where people in New Jersey saw the fireball include Chester, Jersey City, Lakewood, Manchester Township, Metuchen, Middlesex, Newark, Old Bridge, Trenton, Toms River, and Watchung.

A Metuchen resident who reported a sighting added her remarks, saying it was "shocking and awe-inspiring" to see the fireball, which she viewed for a few seconds.

"My jaw is still dropped!" she wrote.

The report from Lakewood said the meteor looked " absolutely dazzling and bright in person, full of color," and "looked to be only a few miles away."

This meteor was seen as far north as Toronto and as far south as Richmond, Va. Sightings also stretched as far west as Grand Rapids, Mich. Some people in New York State in Connecticut also reported seeing the fireball.

You can see it in these two videos posted from the Washington, D.C. area.

The final supermoon of the year will also rise on Friday, with the Leonid meteor shower peaking late next Sunday night, Nov. 17., into Monday.