Weather Instrument Falls From Sky, Strikes Vehicle In Northeast Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The National Weather Service says an object seen falling from the sky in Northeast Philadelphia over the weekend was a data transmitter from one of its weather balloons.
Officials say this happened around 9:30 p.m. Saturday when people reported seeing a small object attached to a parachute fall from the sky and strike a vehicle on Academy Road, not far from Archbishop Ryan High School.
The incident prompted a response by the Philadelphia Police Department's Bomb Squad, which quickly determined the object wasn't dangerous. No one was hurt, and the vehicle it struck sustained only minor damage as the transmitters weigh just a couple of pounds.
Officials say the data transmitter, known as a radiosonde, was attached to a weather balloon that may have been launched out of Dulles International Airport in Virginia, but they weren't 100% sure.