Did a meteor really crash near Midland, Texas, or is it just another social media myth? The truth might surprise you.
Early Sunday morning, social media lit up with claims of a meteor or asteroid striking near Midland and Ector County. Videos timestamped just after 2:38 a.m. captured a loud boom, and residents reported hearing it. Some posts even alleged that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed a baseball-sized meteor landed in an open field near Faudree Road. But here's where it gets controversial: these same posts claimed the impact caused a 3.2-magnitude earthquake, sparked small fires, and produced an explosion equivalent to 2.2 tons of TNT. Sounds dramatic, right? Yet, this is the part most people miss: there’s zero official confirmation from any government agency.
Neither NASA nor NOAA has reported a meteor impact in the area. The U.S. Geological Survey also shows no record of a 3.2-magnitude earthquake at that time. In fact, the most recent seismic event near Midland was a minor 1.4-magnitude quake on Saturday—hardly enough to cause a stir. Even official meteor and fireball logs, including the American Meteor Society’s database, show no events for Midland or Ector County during the timeframe in question. We reached out to the City of Midland, and officials confirmed no investigations by local police or the fire department.
So, what did cause the boom? Some residents speculated it could’ve been a transformer explosion or another electrical failure. We contacted Oncor Energy, but they reported no equipment issues in the area at the time. And this is where it gets even more intriguing: if it wasn’t a meteor, what was it? Could it have been something entirely unrelated, or is there a piece of the puzzle we’re all missing?
For now, the mystery remains unsolved. We’ll keep digging for answers and share updates as more information surfaces. Stay tuned for more from NewsWest 9’s Sonji Milburn at 6 p.m. But we want to hear from you: What do you think caused the boom? Is it possible the meteor theory was completely fabricated, or is there more to the story? Let us know in the comments—this is one debate you won’t want to miss!
