Johnston County residents left wondering about loud noise

JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- Several Johnston County residents said they heard a loud boom Sunday afternoon. "This was way too loud to be a cannon," said Courtney Love.

Residents reported hearing a loud boom online around 4:30 p.m. that shook several homes. "There's concern for some people and for other people are just wondering what it was," Love said.

Love told ABC11 her cats were startled and neighborhood dogs began to bark.

Guesses from a sonic boom to tanerite to military training activities from nearby bases all came up short.

Officials from Camp Lejeune and Seymour Johnson denied having any involvement with the noise.

The Fort Bragg Public Affairs Office said Marines from Camp Lejeune have been on base conducting heavy artillery training in recent days. A representative speculated it's likely the boom was related but stopped just short of claiming full responsibility.

Deputies with the Johnston County Sheriffs Office responded to several calls from residents who heard the boom; however, nothing was found.

As of Monday afternoon, the mystery remained.

"I don't want to go into conspiracy theories or anything like that," Love added. "It's a mystery! That's all I can say."