Blue Light Definitely Was Not Alien Invasion Of NYC: Official

ASTORIA, QUEENS – An eerie blue light that lit much of New York City's sky Thursday night was caused by an eruption of equipment carrying 138,000 volts at a Con Edison substation in Astoria –and was most definitely not an alien invasion, officials said Friday.

"Last night’s electrical fault caused a sustained electrical arc flash & transmission disturbance," a Con Ed spokesman said.

"There were no injuries and all the power lines serving the area are stable. We apologize for the disruption to customers."

Con Ed spokesman Bob McGee gave more explanation to the New York Post.

"It's like a thunder-and-lightning event," he said. "The loud bangs people heard were likely related to the arc striking the ground grid on the substation from a piece of equipment that's 20 feet up in the air and carrying 138,000 volts."

An arc is similar to a bolt of lightning that shoots from faulty equipment to the ground, McGee said.

The event, which amazed onlookers throughout the city, caused power outages at LaGuardia and disruptions to subways through the neighborhood, as well as flickering lights in homes.

"Not aliens," tweeted Mayor Bill de Blasio's spokesman Eric Phillips.

This photo shows blue light over New York, as seen from Manhattan Brough of New York on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018. New York police said a transformer exploded at a Con Edison facility in Queens on Thursday, causing some power outages. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)