Investigation Launched After Possible Meteorite Crashes Through Roof of Family’s Home in New Jersey

It’s not often that an apparent meteorite crashes through the roof of someone’s house, but that’s believed to be exactly what happened to a family in New Jersey this week.

The Hopewell Township Police Department said in a press that “a metallic object believed to be a meteorite” hit the roof of a “ranch style home” on Monday. The possible meteorite “penetrated the roof,” police said, before landing on the home’s hardwood floor.

Police added that an investigation is now in progress, noting that it had reached out to multiple agencies for their help in confirming the nature of the object.

“This may be related to a current meteor shower called the Eta Aquariids,” a police rep said on Monday. Thankfully, no one was hurt during this space-spurred rarity.

Per NASA, May is always a key month in terms of meteor showers. This year, specifically, was previously predicted by the agency to be “particularly impressive” due to 2023’s status as an “outburst year.”

Speaking with KYW-TV, a resident of the home reflected on the initial difficulty of explaining what had happened when notifying the authorities.

“I did touch the thing because I thought it was a random rock, I don’t know, and it was warm,” Suzy Kop, who noted no one was at home when the apparent meteorite crashed into her father’s bedroom, said. The object, according to police, measures roughly four inches by six inches in size and is an “oblong shape.”