Residents across Norfolk and Suffolk were startled on Monday by a mystery boom in the skies above the two counties.
The incident occurred at approximately 4.30pm, with people across East Anglia describing a noise resembling an explosion that caused buildings to tremble.
Reports of the disturbance came from locations spanning Norwich to Ipswich, with alarmed locals taking to social media to share their experiences of the sudden, powerful sound.
The source of the suspected sonic boom remains unconfirmed – though witnesses reported hearing and seeing jets overhead at the time.
Simon Boston, who was filling up at a petrol station in Necton near Swaffham when the boom struck.
“I initially thought it had been a car crash on the A47,” he told the BBC.
Nick Broad, a retired professional pilot based in Lingwood east of Norwich, described hearing a distinctive “double boom” that rattled his windows.
“It was definitely a boom. The window shook. It startled me,” he said.
Witnesses reported hearing and seeing jets overhead at the time of the incident
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Jemima Miller, 22, was walking her dog in Norwich when jets passed overhead.
“I thought nothing of it until it was so loud I could no longer hear my music, and then followed two big bangs that shook the area I was walking in,” she said.
“I could see the plane above and thought I was being shot at.”
The Ministry of Defence has ruled out British military involvement in the incident.
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The Ministry of Defence has ruled out British military involvement in the incident
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A spokesman for the department said: “I can confirm that there was no RAF Quick Reaction Alert today, which would have meant RAF Typhoons taking off from either RAF Lossiemouth or RAF Coningsby.”
Speculation has emerged that an American jet may have been responsible, with one Facebook user suggesting an F-15 could have broken the sound barrier.
The MoD affirmed it does not comment on the aerial activities of other nations, leaving questions about the aircraft’s origin unanswered.
Locals flooded to social media to describe their homes trembling from the force.
Supersonic flight over Britain is uncommon and only permitted under exceptional circumstances
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“Extremely scary sonic boom over Norwich, made the whole house shake,” one resident posted online.
Another joked: “Sonic boom over Norwich or rehearsal for Blitz 2?”
A sonic boom is produced when an aircraft exceeds the speed of sound, creating shockwaves that rapidly compress and decompress the surrounding air.
At an altitude of 60,000 feet, the speed of sound is roughly 660mph.
Supersonic flight over Britain is uncommon and only permitted under exceptional circumstances, typically during defence operations.