Residents in Essex, southeast England, panicked on Saturday after they heard loud bangs many believed to be explosions.
The sounds prompted a flurry of calls to the police who have now confirmed that sonic boom from a military jet was responsible for the sounds.
“We have liaised with @EssexPoliceUK who are confirming that this is a sonic boom from a passing aircraft,” the Bishop’s Stortford Police tweeted about the sounds.
The BBC reported that the residents in Harlow, Epping, Chelmsford and Stansted reported that they felt their houses shaking after “loud explosions”.
Several reports said the sounds were from military aircraft, explaining that two RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled to intercept a Jet2 plane near Stansted Airport after a drunk passenger tried to open the aircraft door.
The plane was escorted back to the airport and an investigation is reportedly ongoing into the incident