NEW YORK (Sputnik) — There has not been any reported combat or military activity in the vicinity of the sonic booms felt in the states of New York and New Jersey, US North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) spokesperson Michael Kucharek told Sputnik.
"There is no NORAD or US North combat activity in the area and we’re not aware of any other military activity either," Kucharek said on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, the US Geological Survey confirmed that a probable sonic boom was the cause of reported tremors across the north eastern United States from southern New Jersey to Long Island, New York.
Kucharek noted, however, that "tactical" military operations could have taken place without NORAD’s knowledge.
"We would know about it if it was service specific, but if it was more at the tactical level we would not be aware of it," Kucharek added.
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) defines a sonic boom as a thunder-like noise an individual on the ground hears when an aircraft or other type of aerospace vehicle flies overhead faster that the speed of sound.