Conspiracy theorists claimed that a green fireball over Louisiana was an “alien mothership” UFO. Pic credit: The Guardian/YouTube
People living in New Orleans, Louisiana, reported sighting a green fireball streaking across the sky on Friday (July 14).
The fireball, captured on street surveillance cameras, dashcams, and ring video doorbells, reportedly sparked speculation on social media that an alien mothership UFO crashed on Earth.
However, meteorologists said the fireball was only a meteor.
Green fireball sighted in the early hours
The green fireball appeared in the sky over parts of Louisiana around 4:30 a.m. on Friday (July 14). It streaked across the dark sky while many residents of New Orleans were still in bed.
However, people who were awake at the time reported that a flash of green light suddenly illuminated the skies. When they looked up, they saw a brilliant, green, orb-shaped object falling from the sky.
A residence of Gretna, Jefferson Parish, across the Mississippi from New Orleans, shared ring video footage that showed the sky bathed in an emerald glow as an object flew over the city. It lighted up the skies momentarily before disappearing abruptly.
Residents of New Orleans and the surrounding metropolitan area reported seeing it.
An alien mothership UFO crashing on Earth?
Some took to social media to speculate that the object might be an alien mothership UFO crashing on Earth.
Although many social media users declared it was only a meteor, UFO conspiracy theorists disagreed, saying it didn’t look like a meteor.
One UFO enthusiast said it was more likely an extraterrestrial craft that entered the atmosphere.
A second argued it was an alien UFO warping our spacetime, the New York Post reported.
A third agreed with the first commenter, saying it couldn’t be a meteor because they didn’t see any fire.
“I thought it was a ufo this morning on the way to Baton Rouge,” one Facebook user shared.
Others wanted to know where the alleged mothership landed.
Experts said it was only a meteor
However, meteorologists said the object was only a meteor.
AccuWeather was among multiple meteorological services that reported the incident on social media. They shared a ring video footage captured in Gretna.
The footage shows a green ball of fire appearing in the sky and increasing in luminosity before disappearing abruptly.
“Dazzling! A meteor lit up the sky in southeastern Louisiana yesterday morning!” they tweeted.
The post added that the American Meteorological Society reported 29 sightings across six states.
Astronomers define a meteor as a small lump of rock from outer space that burns with a bright light as it falls earthward due to heat generated by friction under high velocity.
Some experts also refer to meteors as bolides.
Vegas family claimed UFO landed in their backyard
It is not the first time a green fireball has sparked fears of aliens landing on Earth in UFOs.
Paranormal Papers reported that a Las Vegas family claimed aliens landed in their backyard after residents sighted a green fireball over the city.
They called 911 shortly after midnight on May 1 to report they saw a greenish, skinny, 8-10 feet tall creature with spindly limbs and staring eyes hiding in their backyard.
However, responding officers searched the family’s backyard and reported no evidence of a crashed UFO or aliens.
Police later installed cameras on the house after the family expressed concern about their safety.
We don’t have aliens in storage, family told UFO hunters
An attorney representing the family later told media outlets that UFO hunters hoping to find evidence of aliens in the family’s backyard were trespassing.
He asked people to stop trying to sneak into the family’s backyard because they had no aliens in storage.
NASA said the green fireball was a meteor
NASA reacted to speculation about the green fireball over Las Vegas, saying it was only a meteor.
According to NASA spokesperson Lindley Johnson, the fireball was not a UFO but a meteor. He also denied claims that it landed in a Las Vegas backyard.