A dazzling display of sparks streaking across the night sky caught the attention of South Floridians as remnants of a SpaceX rocket burned up upon reentry, sending debris plummeting toward Earth.
Donald Merry, who often watches the sunset from his balcony, noticed people pointing skyward at the unexpected sight.
“There was a ball, it looked like smoke,” Merry told CBS News Miami. He captured video of the debris, describing how beachgoers reacted with alarm.
“You could hear in the background people screaming and yelling and cursing,” he said.
At first, Merry wasn’t sure what he had seen. “Honestly, I didn’t know. I thought it was something related to shooting stars.”
Cameras capture debris from multiple locations
Videos taken from different vantage points showed the explosion and the fiery remnants streaking through the sky.
Jared Shadkin filmed the debris passing over Biscayne Bay, while 11-year-old Nicolas Fernandez recorded the sight from Pinecrest.
Merry, who watched the object fizzle out, said he expected a dramatic ending.
“I was actually waiting for the next moment or splash or fire or whatever. It was really hard to believe it kind of fizzled out.”
FAA orders SpaceX investigation
The Federal Aviation Administration has directed SpaceX to investigate the incident.
The spectacle wasn’t limited to South Florida.
CBS News Miami received video from witnesses as far away as the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, where the debris was also visible.
