NEW ORLEANS — We might have a better idea of where the mysterious boom came from Tuesday night.
People all across the city, and even beyond, reported heard a loud "boom" that even shook some homes, but no one has been able to answer what it was.
While we cannot confirm the exact cause, a data analyst believes he knows the general area it came from.
"I was sitting, listening to my gospel and preaching on the TV," said Ora Singleton who lives just blocks from the industrial canal.
Tuesday around 11:15 p.m. she heard a loud noise.
"I mean it went 'boom!' and it just had a roaring sound," she said.
Her adult son ran down stairs.
"He said, 'momma I don’t know what the hell that is,'" Singleton said.
NASA said it wasn't a meteor, Entergy said it wasn't a utility, and the Chalmette refinery said they didn't have issues, so two days later the question remains: What was it?
"We don’t know. We truly don’t know," Singleton said.
Data analyst Jeff Asher, who is also the City's crime analyst, can't answer that question, but he does believe he knows what area the noise came from.
"One person posted the video of it which gave us a flash and with the exact time stamp of a flash you can then figure out maybe what it might have been by calculating the distance," Asher explained.
Using about six surveillance videos from all across the city, he calculated how long it took the sound to reach each person's home. All of his findings intersected in one spot.
"I think it came just east of the industrial canal. That seems to be where all the circles are converging," Asher said.
No authorities have confirmed this. We contacted the Port of New Orleans who said they are not aware of any incidents that could be the cause.
"It's a big empty space. It would explain why there's no camera facing it, there may not have been damage, who knows what it was," Asher said.
These findings would put the boom practically in Singleton's backyard. She said it's not the first time.
"Always at night and late, late at night," Singleton said.
She and several other neighbors said they hear similar booms every six months or so.
"This was louder. This was the loudest one I ever heard. I just don’t understand," Singleton said.
It's a mystery still unsolved and many are left wondering: Will we ever know?
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.