An estimated 6,350-kilogramme meteoroid disintegrated spectacularly over Valley City, Ohio, on Tuesday, causing a dazzling fireball and a sonic boom heard across several states.
The meteoroid, confirmed by NASA to be nearly 1.8 metres in diameter and travelling at approximately 72,420 kilometres per hour, prompted a widespread search for fragments.
Medina resident December Harris and her roommate Ambra Sinclair discovered a small, "very, very black" rock with pits and a melted texture, suspected to be a meteorite, near their garage.
Meteorite collector Roberto Vargas travelled from Connecticut to Ohio and successfully located two pieces, one described as a "100% fusion crusted" museum-quality specimen.
Another local, Gabe Leidy, also found a suspected meteorite in the Sharon Center area, which he intends to keep as a memento of the "once-in-a-lifetime event."
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Meteorite hunters race to Ohio after space rock crashes down to Earth