An extraordinary event has shaken up a quiet neighbourhood in Naples, Florida, as an alleged space object crashed through the roof of a family home, leaving behind a trail of questions and a damaged residence. The incident has sparked curiosity and concern among locals, prompting investigations by both the homeowner and NASA.
Last month, Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, took to social media to share information about a space event. He suggested that an "equipment pallet" from space had reentered Earth's atmosphere, speculating that it might have reached Fort Myers, Florida.
"The EP-9 equipment pallet reentered at 1929 UTC over the Gulf of Mexico between Cancun and Cuba. This was with the previous prediction window but a little to the northeast of the 'most likely' part of the path. A couple of minutes later reentry and it would have reached Ft Myers," McDowell wrote on March 8.
Responding to McDowell's post, Alejandro Otero, a homeowner in Naples, Florida, shared several photos of damage to his residence, along with an image of the alleged space debris. Otero remarked, "Looks like one of those pieces missed Ft Myers and landed in my house in Naples."
According to Otero, the object crashed through the roof, traversed two floors of his home, and narrowly missed his son. Despite reaching out to NASA for a response, Otero claimed he did not receive any communication from the agency initially. However, in a recent statement, NASA acknowledged the incident and stated that they had collected the object in cooperation with the homeowner. The agency plans to analyse the object at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to determine its origin.
In an interview with WINK TV in Fort Myers, Otero recounted the alarming moment when he received a call from his son reporting the damage. He described the object as weighing nearly two pounds and having a cylindrical shape. Otero speculated that the object's trajectory through the atmosphere caused its distinctive shape.
Upon returning home, Otero expressed his disbelief and gratitude that no one was injured in the incident.
"I was shaking. I was completely in disbelief," he told WINK TV. "What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage?" he questioned, adding, "I’m super grateful that nobody got hurt."
