Block of ice thought to come from plane slams into New Jersey family home
A New Jersey family is grappling with damage to their roof after an ice block randomly crashed into their home last week.
According to NBC New York, the incident happened Wednesday at Paul Gomez's home in Paterson, about 15 miles from Newark. Security footage obtained by the outlet shows his family eating in the backyard deck when they heard the ice hit the home. It was described as looking "like an iceberg."
Gomez told the news station that he thought the ice chunk was approximately 300 pounds and sounded "like a helicopter." No one was injured during the incident.
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The family believes the ice contained biowaste
WABC reported that the ice chunk also broke through the floor at the top level of their home, and some pieces ended up on their neighbor's property.
The family thinks that it came from a plane, as their new home is near a flight path to Newark Liberty International Airport. Gomez reportedly contacted the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate and assess the damage, which is an estimated $20,000.
"Generally speaking, we investigate reports that we receive about incidents such as this,' the FAA said to WABC in a statement.
They believed that "bathroom stuff" was inside the ice, per NBC New York, referring to the plane's biowaste. In 2012, a New York couple was on their deck when they were covered with "lavatory excrement" from a plane passed over them, according to CBS News.
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].