A quiet early Wednesday morning in the small South Jersey town of Magnolia was shattered by a loud boom and a flash of light that left residents and authorities puzzled.

Around 2:30 a.m., an unidentified object plummeted from the sky, crashing through the roof of S & L Automotive on Atlantic Avenue and causing significant damage.

The incident, captured on surveillance footage, has sparked widespread curiosity and debate about the object’s origin, with theories ranging from space debris to extraterrestrial phenomena.

According to ABC News, Sebastian Leonardo, the owner of S & L Automotive, arrived at his shop later that morning to find an alarming scene: a gaping hole in the ceiling and debris scattered across the floor.

“When employees climbed up to look at the damage to the roof and ceiling, they saw where the unidentified object had made impact,” Leonardo told 6abc Philadelphia.

“A sizable dent in a thick steel gauge box—that’s when I went to all of my cameras and found the video and realized what had actually happened.”

Surveillance footage revealed a dramatic moment: a flash outside followed by what Leonardo described as “a giant fireball” bursting through the ceiling, sending debris flying.

The impact was powerful enough to wake nearby residents. Denise Korejko, a Magnolia local, recalled the startling noise to 6abc: “It was really, really loud.

The sky, the big bright light, and the big bang, it was big.” Neighbors reported feeling on edge, with many taking to social media to share their experiences and speculate about the cause.

Posts on X captured the community’s intrigue, with one user asking, “What do you think fell into their ceiling?” alongside a link to the news story.

Another post described the event as an “unidentified object crashed through the steel roof,” noting that the object itself was “mysteriously missing.”

Authorities have yet to identify the object, and its absence from the scene has only deepened the mystery. According to a report from Mediaite, the incident prompted a flood of calls to local police, who are now investigating alongside other agencies.

The lack of injuries was a relief, but the damage to the auto shop has left Leonardo and his team combing through debris in search of clues. “This is really a once-in-a-lifetime thing, I imagine,” Leonardo said, reflecting on the bizarre event.

This isn’t the first time New Jersey has grappled with unexplained objects falling from the sky. In May 2023, a possible meteorite crashed through a home in Hopewell Township, Mercer County, leaving a family stunned but unharmed.

The metallic object, roughly 4 by 6 inches, was believed to be debris from a comet or asteroid, though conclusive identification was pending further analysis.

Similarly, in 2018, a large cylindrical object smashed into a Jersey City home, blasting a hole in the wall moments after an explosion-like sound was reported.

These incidents fuel speculation that the Magnolia event could involve space debris, a growing concern as satellites and other objects proliferate in low Earth orbit.

However, some residents and online commentators have floated more outlandish theories, including UFOs or experimental drones. While no evidence supports extraterrestrial involvement, the dramatic footage of a fireball and the object’s disappearance have kept such ideas alive in public discourse.

A report from WRAL noted that it remains “unclear what caused a flash of light and an explosion at an auto shop in Magnolia,” underscoring the ongoing uncertainty.

Experts suggest more mundane explanations are likely. Space debris, such as parts of defunct satellites or rocket boosters, occasionally re-enters Earth’s atmosphere and can survive the descent to cause damage.

The Federal Aviation Administration and NASA often investigate such incidents to determine whether man-made objects are responsible.

Meteorites are another possibility, though their rarity makes them less likely. In the absence of the object itself, investigators may rely on chemical residue or structural analysis of the damaged roof to narrow down the possibilities.