The explosion lit up the sky in shades of blue visible as far as Manhattan and New Jersey.
The explosion lit up the sky in shades of blue visible as far as Manhattan and New Jersey. (Image: Twitter/@ConEdison)
A Hollywood moment in the Big Apple!
An alien invasion, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial visiting Elliott in real life, or another plane moment?
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Versions aplenty but only one reality; a transformer explosion at a power plant in Queens that temporarily lit up the New York skyline in bright blue, causing a frenzy in the city.
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The explosion lit up the sky in shades of blue visible as far as Manhattan and New Jersey. The tremors shook buildings and rattled windows, sending people running into the streets.
Many on the social media said they feared an alien invasion and other conjectures, prompting the New York City Police Department to explain on Twitter that the blue light came from a “transformer explosion at a Con Ed facility in Queens” and that the fire from the explosion was under control.
“ADVISORY: The lights you have seen throughout the city appear to have been from a transformer explosion at a Con Ed facility in Queens. The fire is under control, will update as more info becomes available,” the department tweeted.
ADVISORY: The lights you have seen throughout the city appear to have been from a transformer explosion at a Con Ed facility in Queens. The fire is under control, will update as more info becomes available. Follow @fdny, @NYPD114pct and @conedison. pic.twitter.com/fdzQKs1wVV
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 28, 2018
According to the New York City Fire Department, there were no injuries reported in the incident and the explosion was determined to be a non-suspicious equipment malfunction, and “no evidence of extraterrestrial activity.”
LaGuardia Airport in Queens initially grounded all flights following the explosion. No flights took off between 9.22 and 10.23 p.m. ET, according to flight tracking data company FlightAware.
Twitter users shared photos and videos of New York City’s sky. Many on the social media feared it as an alien invasion.
Watch the videos:
What about the three lights behind the clouds? #AstoriaExplosion #conedisonexplosion pic.twitter.com/Ev6qsWnHbA
— Gisella Haidar (@GigiHaidar) December 28, 2018
pictures and videos from the sky on route to EWR! #astoria #AstoriaExplosion @ABC7NY @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/S1fBC5sqHM
— Rachel Steiner (@rachelsteiner_) December 28, 2018
Explosion at Astoria power plant… Looked like an alien invasion… #astoriaexplosion @ABC @CNN pic.twitter.com/po8DbUuzPy
— venkatv (@venkatv) December 28, 2018
THEY’RE HEEEEEERE!!!!!
#AstoriaExplosion pic.twitter.com/e6vFMRheOX— Lina de Florias (@linadeflorias) December 28, 2018
New York skyline after transformer explosion at Astoria East & North Queens Con Ed power plant, stay safe. pic.twitter.com/ZboREr1bJE
— Mohamed Salih (@MohamedMOSalih) December 28, 2018
An NYPD official said the bright lights and loud bangs caused a surge of 911 calls, with residents reporting explosions and one person calling in a plane crash.
(With agency inputs)
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