Meteorite Struck NJ Home, TCNJ Physics Professor Confirms

A meteorite struck a home in Hopewell Township, New Jersey, earlier this week, a physics professor at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) confirmed.

Hopewell Township Police said a metallic object struck the roof of a home on Old Washington Crossing Pennington Road on Monday around 1:15 p.m.

The object went through the roof and the ceiling of the home before hitting the hardwood floor where it came to a rest. The home was occupied at the time but no one was injured. 

Police said the object appeared to be metallic, was oblong in shape and was approximately 4" by 6" in size. 

Hopewell Township Police said they contacted other agencies for assistance in positively identifying the object. They also said the incident could be related to a recent Meteor shower called the Eta Aquariids.

On Thursday, Nate Magee, a physics professor at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in Ewing, confirmed the object was a “stony chondrite meteorite.” His conclusion was based on visual examination, density measurements and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images as well as input from retired meteorite expert Jerry Delaney.

“It is most likely type LL-6, which means that it is lower in iron than most chondrite meteorites, and has been highly metamorphosed by intense heat even before entering the Earth’s atmosphere,” a TCNJ spokesperson wrote.

The spokesperson said the meteorite weighs 2.2 pounds (984 grams) and is approximately 4.56 billion years old.

“It’s likely to be named based on the nearest postal address, thus likely to be officially dubbed the "Titusville, NJ" meteorite,” the spokesperson wrote.

The school did not confirm whether or not the meteorite was part of the Eta Aquariids.