Suspected Space Junk Crashes Through Florida Man's Home: ''Almost Hit My Son''

A man's home in Florida was damaged after an alleged space object fell from the sky and came crashing through it. The incident happened on March 8, when a two-pound cylindrical-shaped object crashed through the roof of a family home in Naples, Florida, the Guardian reported. 

Notably, Alejandro Otero was on vacation when he received a call from his son, saying he heard a 'tremendous sound' and there were gaping holes in the ceiling and floor. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the ordeal.

''It was a tremendous sound. It almost hit my son. He was two rooms over and heard it all. Something ripped through the house and then made a big hole on the floor and the ceiling,'' Mr Otero, told WINK News. 

''I was shaking. I was completely in disbelief. What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage. I'm super grateful that nobody got hurt,'' he added. 

The chunk of metal is believed to be part of a discarded battery pallet from the International Space Station. NASA scientists have since recovered the debris and are currently analyzing it. It's suspected that the object was an EP-9 equipment pallet.

"The EP-9 equipment pallet reentered at 1929 UTC over the Gulf of Mexico between Cancun and Cuba. This was with the previous prediction window but a little to the northeast of the 'most likely' part of the path. A couple of minutes later reentry and it would have reached Ft Myers," astronomer Jonathan McDowell wrote on X.

See the images here:

Hello. Looks like one of those pieces missed Ft Myers and landed in my house in Naples.
Tore through the roof and went thru 2 floors. Almost his my son.
Can you please assist with getting NASA to connect with me? I've left messages and emails without a response. pic.twitter.com/Yi29f3EwyV

— Alejandro Otero (@Alejandro0tero) March 15, 2024

A Nasa spokesperson, Josh Finch, told Ars Technica that the analysis was taking place ''as soon as possible to determine its origin.''

''More information will be available once the analysis is complete,'' NASA added. If the object is found to be space junk, the agency could be liable for damages.

"It gets more interesting if this material is discovered to be not originally from the United States. If it is a human-made space object which was launched into space by another country, which caused damage on Earth, that country would be liable to the homeowner for the damage caused,'' Michelle Hanlon, executive director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi told Ars Technica.