Two jets are shown at the Florida Air Natoinal Guard headquarters in Jacksonville. | News4Jax
Published on March 5, 2024 at 3:08 pm
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The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office got more than a dozen calls Saturday after an apparent sonic boom from low-flying jets shocked residents and caused damage ranging from items falling off walls to broken glass.
The Sheriff’s Office took calls from Pomona Park, Lake Como, Crescent City and as far north as Palatka, and several people reported seeing two low-flying jets and hearing loud booms, which could have been the result of the jets breaking the sound barrier. One caller said they saw the sonic boom bubble.
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The jets involved were F-14s from the Florida Air National Guard. The guard acknowledged the incident in an email to News4JAX but did not confirm it was a sonic boom.
“The Florida Air National Guard recently became aware of damage and noise complaints as a result of low-altitude training in Putnam County on Saturday, March 2nd. In response to this event, Florida National Guard command has directed that an investigation take place to determine the facts and implement any necessary measures to prevent this type of incident in the future,” the statement said.
“The Florida National Guard extends its deepest apologies for any resulting damage and the negative impact to the local community.”
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Some people were frantic when they contacted law enforcement:
- “A plane just dropped a bomb behind my house! The whole trailer shook. I was like to have a heart attack.”
- “Something just exploded. I thought a bomb hit the house. Something smells wrong, like a gas smell.”
- “Any calls about what just happened? It destroyed my frigging house! Knocked everything off my walls. It could’ve been those planes.”
- “I have major damage, they flew right over my house. I have a 50-by-75 building, and the lights were blown off the walls, there’s glass everywhere.”
- “I don’t know what’s going on, but my windows are busted out, and pictures fell off the walls.”
The guard said Monday it was working to establish a contact number for residents who might have sustained property damage as a result of the event and wish to file a claim. For more information, contact the Florida National Guard Public Affairs Office at fl.ng.pao@mail.mil or 904- 823-0170.
Lead image: Two jets are shown at the Florida Air Natoinal Guard headquarters in Jacksonville. | News4Jax
This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
