Meteorite falls through roof of house in New Jersey

January 6, 2007

Scientists say that the rock that fell through the roof of a house in Freehold Township, New Jersey this week was a meteorite and was likely over a billion years old. The meteorite is currently owned by the same family whose house it hit; the names of the family members have not been released and no one inside the home was injured.

The meteorite is named "Freehold Township" after the township it landed in. Although scientists have not yet been able to take samples of the rock, they have looked at it and say the rock is likely made of iron due to its "density, magnetic properties, markings and coloration", and probably a piece of a much larger asteroid. The rock weighs approximately 13 ounces (about .37 kilograms), which is little more than the weight of a can of soup.

"It's a pretty exciting find," said one scientist who has examined the rock, Jeremy S. Delaney. "It's a good candidate for the core of an asteroid," added Delaney.