New Yorkers across the five boroughs were surprised when a bright blue light suddenly illuminated the New York City skyline on Thursday night. At around 9:30pm ET, many began sharing their recordings and photos of the spectacle for those who did not witness it first-hand and asking around social media for any kind of information regarding its source.
According to an NYPD advisory on Twitter, NYPD is currently “investigating a transformer explosion at Astoria East & North Queens Con Ed power plant.” This is suspected to be the source of the blue light.
@NYPDNews confirmed that “The lights you have seen throughout the city appear to have been from a transformer explosion at a Con Ed facility in Queens,” adding that the fire caused by the explosion is currently under control. FDNY also responded to the breaking news on their Twitter, updating concerned followers that they are “investigating a transformer incident in Queens at a @ConEdison location. The Department has received numerous calls for reports of explosions in the Long Island City and Astoria areas.” According to Police Chief Terence Monahan, there are no known injuries.
Mayor Bill DeBlasio updated New Yorkers with known information, saying that the light was caused by an electrical surge at a ConEd substation, there is no current fire or injuries, and while the MTA and LaGuardia airport have power, delays should be expected for the 7 train and scheduled LaGuardia flights.
Twitter was quickly full of New Yorkers in search of information regarding the light and sharing their own videos and images; “#bluelight” and “#bluesky” were quickly trending as hashtags on Twitter, as well as “Queens,” “Astoria,” “#ConEd,” and “Aliens” (the latter were jokingly blamed by some for the light, who wondered if it might be indicative of an Independence Day-style invasion). NYPD’s 43rd precinct even assured that aliens “have not landed in the #Bronx.”
Comedian John Mulaney added to the concern and confusion, sharing his own video and writing “I also would like to know what is happening.”
@jtchan77 shared video from across the East River, joking that the blue light was caused by an “out of hand” gender reveal party.
The blue light illuminated the sky long enough for New Yorkers who are skilled with a camera to take photos of the explosion that show the scope of the blue light over a city as big as New York. @AintNoHeroes shared a stunning photo of the skyline to Twitter, joking “I’m tight cause I KNOW someone just got superpowers from that blue light.”
One Twitter user posted a video from a point of view that was closer to the Con Edison plant. In that video, you can see not only the blue light but a glimpse of the explosion’s resulting fire. As the light subsides, the video zooms in to show dense smoke billowing from a still-sparking source. Though the fire itself appears yellow, the sky in the background of the video continues to spark flash blue for the duration of the 45-second clip.