Apple Valley residents fed up by unidentified ‘loud booms’

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
Updated ·2 min read
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Many Apple Valley residents are fed up by the nightly sounds of mysterious and unidentified “explosions,” or “loud booms,” that have shaken homes and rattled nerves.
Many Apple Valley residents are fed up by the nightly sounds of mysterious and unidentified “explosions,” or “loud booms,” that have shaken homes and rattled nerves.

Many Apple Valley residents are fed up by the nightly sounds of unidentified and mysterious “explosions,” or “loud booms,” that have shaken homes and rattled nerves.

Based on hundreds of online comments and several residents contacting the Daily Press, the noises have been heard mainly between Navajo and Central roads and Bear Valley and Yucca Loma roads.

Many residents said the booming sounds started on Monday and continued into Thursday.

“Every night, these booms shake my house, freak out my dogs and rattle my nerves,” said Kathy Torres, who lives near Yucca Loma Elementary School. “It’s causing a lot of problems and it has to stop.”

The “loud boom” sounds have been reported mostly between 8 p.m. and midnight, Apple Valley Sheriff’s spokeswoman Pam Hoffman told the Daily Press.

“Deputies respond to the area where the callers live but have been unable to identify what might be causing the noise,” Hoffman said.

Many Apple Valley residents are fed up by the nightly sounds of mysterious and unidentified “explosions,” or “loud booms,” that have shaken homes and rattled nerves.
Many Apple Valley residents are fed up by the nightly sounds of mysterious and unidentified “explosions,” or “loud booms,” that have shaken homes and rattled nerves.

Fireworks? Dry ice bombs? Gunfire?

The booms happen every night and it’s "getting old,” Susan Grossman said.

“It’s definitely not fireworks," she said. "After living in the High Desert for over 30 years, I know what neighborhood fireworks sound like.”

Others, including gun owners, said the booms don’t sound like gunfire.

Katie Richmond believes the sounds come from kids setting off dry ice bombs, made with dry ice and a 2-liter bottle. When the bottle is sealed, pressure builds up as the solid carbon dioxide turns into gas, causing the bottle to burst.

Improvised explosive devices constructed from various objects are prohibited, extremely dangerous and are considered a felony, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Cannon? Cars backfiring?

Ann Anderson believes the sound may be cars backfiring in the cold weather and at higher elevations.

“They can be loud. I was camping in the mountains one time and my truck was backfiring — plus clouds or no clouds can make it echo,” Anderson said. “It's not gunfire if someone is thinking that. I lived in the LA area and know what that sounds like.”

Carol Hurd believes the sound is traveling over a long distance.

“I'm at Sitting Bull and Navajo," she said. "What are they using a cannon?”

One resident said after one boom, he saw a huge plume of smoke on top of a local house but saw no fire and no one fled from the home.

Others speculate that the sounds are coming from White Rock Mountain quarry, located 10 miles northeast of where the sounds were reported.

One person said the booms are coming from the construction of the Brightline West high-speed rail system, which has not yet broken ground.

Some have even shifted the blame on sonic booms, space aliens, the U.S. government, China, or The Illuminati.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz  

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Apple Valley residents fed up by unidentified ‘loud booms’