Crater Left After Mysterious Boom on Long Island's Great South Bay

A loud noise followed by a crater measuring 4 feet by 2 feet emerged on Fox Island, off of Lindenhurst in Long Island’s Great South Bay, officials said.

This undeveloped island is only accessible by boat, according to CBS New York.

John Sacchitello, woodworker at Venetian Shores Pavilion over a mile past the island’s shore, told the local affiliate that he was nearly knocked off his feet and saw sand rise in the distance.

“It was just a huge boom. My first instinct was somebody’s boat exploded,” Sacchitello said. 

“But the way the smoke dissipated so rapidly, I figured someone set something off.” 

Babylon’s Public Safety Department received almost 500 calls about the sight, and concerned social media postings from residents miles away emerged, CBS reported. 

“Focused on a bunch of pictures that came out of a boat that may have had two, maybe three young people on the boat leaving the scene,” Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer said to CBS New York. 

The outlet said a 23-foot striped vessel was spotted, and investigators say it could have been anything from a pipe bomb to dynamite. 

According to the outlet, authorities are not ruling out that it was a possible trial run for a future criminal act, and are searching for tips.

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