Experts: Metallic object that crashed into New Jersey home was a meteorites
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J. , May 12: A metallic object that punched a hole in the roof of a central New Jersey home this week, smashing into a hardwood floor and bouncing around a bedroom, was a meteorite, experts announced Thursday.
Scientists with The College of New Jersey determined the 6-by-4-inch object, which weighs about 2.2 pounds, is a rare stony chondrite meteorite.
They came to that conclusion after conducting a visual examination, making density measurements and scanning electron microscope images.
They were assisted in their work by Jerry Delaney, a retired meteorite expert from Rutgers University and the American Museum of Natural History.
“Getting the chance to examine the meteorite (Wednesday) was a rare and thrilling opportunity for me, as well as for a group of physics students and professors at TCNJ,” said Nathan Magee, chair of the school’s physics department. “We are excited to be able to confirm that the object is a true chondrite meteorite, in excellent condition, and one of a very small number of similar witnessed chondrite falls known to science.” The family that owns the home discovered the black, potato-sized rock in a corner — still warm around 12:30 p.m. Monday. The experts believe it hit the home a short time before it was found.
Nobody was hurt, and there was no serious damage to the residence, said police in Hopewell Township, north of the state capital of Trenton.
Suzy Kop, whose family owns the home, said they initially thought someone had thrown a rock into an upstairs bedroom Monday, but they soon realized that wasn’t the case. Kop said hazmat officials responded to their home to check it out along with her family, in case they had been exposed to some type of radioactive material, but those checks were all negative. (AP)
Two fishermen caught cheating at Ohio tournament sentenced to 10-day jail terms
CLEVELAND, May 12: Two men who admitted stuffing fish with lead weights and fish fillets in an attempt to win thousands of dollars in an Ohio fishing tournament last fall were sentenced Thursday to ten-day jail terms and other penalties, including the forfeiture of a boat valued at $100,000.
The cheating allegations surfaced in September when Jason Fischer, Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament director, became suspicious of the fish turned in by Jacob Runyan, 43, of Ashtabula, Ohio; and Chase Cominsky, 36, of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, were significantly heavier than typical walleye.
A crowd of people at Gordon Park in Cleveland watched as Fischer cut the freshwater fish open, and found weights and walleye fillets stuffed inside.
As part of a plea deal, Runyan and Cominsky pleaded guilty in March to cheating and unlawful ownership of wild animals — and agreed to three-year suspensions of their fishing licenses.
Cominsky also agreed to give up his bass boat worth $100,000. Once the pair complete their county jail terms, they will serve a year and a half on probation and must each pay a $2,500 fine — though half the fine will be waived if they each make a $1,250 donation to a nonprofit organization that promotes fishing with children. If they violate their probation, they could face an additional 30-day county jail sentence.
According to search warrant affidavits, five walleye contained lead weights and fillets.
Officers from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources confiscated the fish as evidence.
They would have received a little over $28,000 in prizes for winning the tournament.
Court records also said that Runyan and Cominsky were investigated near Toledo in the spring of 2022 after being accused of cheating in a different walleye tournament. According to a police report, a prosecutor concluded that although the men may have cheated, there was not enough evidence to charge them. (AP)