Videos Capturing Sonic Boom Over Washington D.C. Viewed More Than 1m Times

Several videos have gone viral on social media showing the moment a sonic boom was heard over Washington D.C.

The loud boom came shortly after F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept an unresponsive private aircraft that had entered restricted airspace.

The private Cessna 560 plane was intercepted at about 3:20 p.m. ET on Sunday and eventually crash-landed, killing the four people on board, including a toddler.

One clip, that has been viewed more than 1 million times, shows a dog resting outside before scurrying off after hearing the booming noise.

The footage was shared on Twitter by the RAWSALERTS page and was captioned: "Earlier this evening, incredible video was captured on a home security camera showing a loud sonic boom which was caused by fighter jets that quickly took off to intercept an unresponsive Cessna 560 Citation V jet flying that had entered the No-Fly Zone over the National Capital near the White House and Capitol Building. The Cessna jet reportedly had four occupants, on board it later crashed in Virginia."

Another video, that has begun circulating, shows a man and a woman about to record a music video at their home before they both heard the sonic boom. After hearing it, the pair put down their instruments and went out of the camera's view to investigate.

Videos of the jet's flight path have also begun to circulate and show the jet attempting to catch up with the unresponsive plane before it crashed.

While some on social media have speculated about the cause of the sonic boom, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) issued a statement about the incident.

The press release read: "In coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, NORAD F-16 fighter aircraft responded to an unresponsive Cessna 560 Citation V aircraft over Washington D.C. and northern Virginia on June 4, 2023."

"The NORAD aircraft were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region.

"During this event, the NORAD aircraft also used flares - which may have been visible to the public, in an attempt to draw attention from the pilot.

"Flares are employed with the highest regard for safety of the intercepted aircraft and people on the ground. Flares burn out quickly and completely and there is no danger to the people on the ground when dispensed."

At this time, it is unclear as to why the pilot was unresponsive, why the plane crashed or the identity of the passengers.

Newsweek has contacted NORAD via email for comment.