Officers Vickie Warehime and J. Posluszny Jr. have solved a lot of mysteries, but this one is over their heads–literally. In fact, it may be about 30 to 40 feet in the air. For months, the Baltimore County Community Outreach officers have been investigating a bizarre phenomenon disturbing neighbors in an area of Pikesville near Beth Tfiloh Community School. Now, they say they may be closer to an answer. Derek Valcourt reports 911 callers complain about a deafening explosion and a bright flash of light in the middle of night.
“The bedroom actually lights up like day,” says Elaine O’Mansky, who lives in the Stevenson Commons condominium building near Beth Tfiloh. “It’s instantaneous and wakes us up out of a very deep sleep.” She isn’t alone. Barbara Friedman is Homeowner’s Association president for the area. She was up late one night sweeping her back patio when she heard the boom. “I hit the deck,” Friedman explained. “It was so loud, I thought I was being shot. I literally hit the deck.” After she realized she hadn’t been shot, she started emailing other homeowners to see if they heard it too.
From late September until now, she’s heard it 25 times, always between midnight and 7 a.m. with no consistent pattern. Convinced something was wrong, Friedman and O’Mansky contacted police, who were skeptical at first. So police started investigating whether it was an electrical or gas problem. Then police decided to take the next step and install two cameras hoping to videotape the boom. “It wasn’t until we caught it on tape that we realized the magnitude of what they were actually talking about,” said Sgt. Warehime. “The sound is almost deafening. You can’t describe it. Seeing it on tape without hearing the sound doesn’t do it justice.” Police say they’ve consulted with many experts and they’re running out of options. Armitage says more evidence is needed before he can form a scientific conclusion.
“Right now it’s hard to say the phenomenon is definitely occurring though,” said Armitage. “It’s not some people with creative imaginations that’s for sure. When there’s repeated eyewitnesses, and then there’s something on tape like this, you really have to pay attention.”
I have seen power transformers explode, and it looks much like this, but thats been ruled out. There has to be some reasonable explanation for this….so what is it? Maybe some kids with powerful explosives?
The reporter in the videos is a crack up. “The Light and The Bang”. He looks very intense about the whole thing.
Land mines set for squirrels.
This isn’t too far from where I live. But far enough away, that we can’t hear these mysterious bangs. Though I may actually have on certain nights, if the sound carried, and I was already awake. According to the latest news, the police used video cameras over six months to narrow down the exact origin of the flashs. It was some guy who was using fireworks, to get back at his neighbors for interfering in his drug trade.
http://wjz.com/specialreports/pikesville.flash.baltimore.2.711090.html
NOW…. If only the authorities in Phoenix could use the same savvy to figure out who’s causing those mysterious lights over their city. I think all they’d need would be some night vision binocs to see the dark balloon(s) holding up the halogen bulbs. Even a quick spectro would tell them whether known bulbs or flares made the lights. But Phoenix needs its little mystery.
GIANT LIGHTINGBUGS
Excuse me for repeating LC’s link. I didn’t see it the first time I looked. Our local news keeps changing the story’s details. Either they’ve got it wrong, or are covering up something. Like calling the device use, a “starter pistol”. It’s isn’t. It’s called a “bird banger”, use to drive off large flocks of pesky foul. Or make it easier to hunt them, by filling the air with hundreds of ducks. You decide. Anyway, here’s a website explaining the ammo.
http://www.pyroguide.com/index.php?title=Bird_banger
The local news kept showing a box of the ‘Pyro-Knallpatrone’ brand ammo. So I assume that’s what was found in the man’s apartment. I can only assume that they’re now worried about copycats. So they’ve changed to calling it a “starter’s pistol”. Which is far less loud, and not bright at all. What interests me about this is how a single Tv station has been giving the exclusive of this for the week. Is all news for sale now? A revenue gathering policy of our states’ police?