A meteor streaking across the sky was caught on Portland Maine Police Department patrol vehicle camera in this images posted on social media in Portland, Maine, United States early May 17, 2016. Courtesy Portland Maine Police Department/Handout via REUTERS
A meteor streaking across the sky was caught on Portland Maine Police Department patrol vehicle camera in this images posted on social media in Portland, Maine, United States early May 17, 2016. Courtesy Portland Maine Police Department/Handout via REUTERS

 

Portland, MI – A police sergeant looking for speeders captured a fireball streaking across the sky on his dashboard camera early Tuesday.

The bright flash visible from several states was apparently left by a meteor burning up as it passed through Earth’s atmosphere. Other people and webcams also captured images of the fireball.

The American Meteor Society reported more than 300 sightings in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and parts of Canada.

Portland police Sgt. Tim Farris was parked in front of the Central Fire Station when his camera captured the meteor lighting up the sky.

The shocked officer was heard saying, “Oh, my God!”

Webcams in Portsmouth Harbor in New Hampshire and at the Burlington Airport in Vermont captured the fireball. Video shot by another officer in New York and a motorist in Vermont also surfaced.

The Maine Mineral & Gem Museum suspects the meteor crashed into the woods of northwestern Maine, based on preliminary findings. It’s offering a $20,000 reward if someone recovers a piece of the meteorite weighing at least 2.2 pounds.

A meteor that was seen in several states is captured by a webcam streaking across the night sky over Portsmouth Harbor early on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in Portsmouth, N.H. The bright flash was apparently left by a meteor burning up as it passed through the earth's atmosphere. The American Meteor Society reported sightings across the Northeast and in parts of Canada. (Mike McCormack portsmouthwebcam.com via AP)
A meteor that was seen in several states is captured by a webcam streaking across the night sky over Portsmouth Harbor early on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in Portsmouth, N.H. The bright flash was apparently left by a meteor burning up as it passed through the earth’s atmosphere. The American Meteor Society reported sightings across the Northeast and in parts of Canada. (Mike McCormack portsmouthwebcam.com via AP)

 

As reported by Vos Iz Neias