What Hit a Hopewell, NJ House Monday Afternoon? Maybe a Meteorite

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP (Mercer) — Police are working to determine what crashed into a house Monday afternoon leaving a hole in the roof.

Hopewell police said the 4-by-6-inch oblong shiny object hit the roof of the house on Old Washington Crossing-Pennington Road around 1:15 PM. The object went through the roof, and the ceiling and landed on a hardwood floor in a second-floor bedroom.

The home was occupied at the time but no one was injured.

Area of house where an object crashed through the roof of a Hopwell house. (NJ Public Safety News Alerts)

Just what crashed into the house?

Howell police are working with several agencies to confirm that it is a meteorite, possibly from the Eta Aquariids meteor shower.

According to Space.com, the Eta Aquariids peaked over the weekend. The shower is made up of particles ejected from Comet Halley in 390 BC. It is best viewed in the Southern Hemisphere but can also be seen in the Northern Hemisphere.

Object that crashed into a Hopewell house 5/8/23 (Hopewell police)

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Gallery Credit: Dom DiFurio & Jacob Osborn