Metallic Object That Struck New Jersey Home 'Most Certainly A Meteorite' [Photo]

A metallic object crashed into a New Jersey home this week, and it was "most certainly a meteorite," an expert reportedly said.

The object crashed through the roof of a home in Hopewell Township, New Jersey, on Monday, according to CBS News. Hopewell Township Police Department (HTPD) noted in a press release that the object actually pierced through the home's roof and ceiling and reached the hardwood floor. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

The object was about 4 by 6 inches in size, had a rather metallic sheen and was oblong in shape.

Although the homeowners initially thought the object was merely a rock, they soon realized that it might be something else entirely.

"I did touch the thing because it thought it was a random rock, I don't know, and it was warm," Suzy Kop, whose family owns the home, said, as per CBS News.

"HTPD has contacted several other agencies for assistance in positively identifying the object and safeguarding the residents and the object," authorities also noted in the press release. "The investigation is on-going."

It is believed to be a meteorite, authorities said, adding that it could be related to the active Eta Aquariid meteor shower.

Officials responded to the home just in case of possible radioactive exposure, according to AP News. But the tests came out negative.

In an update, the Hopewell Township government shared its correspondence with experts about the metallic object.

One of the experts they consulted was Mike Hankey of the American Meteor Society (AMS), who reportedly told authorities that the object was "most certainly a meteorite" and that there may be more "scattered around the town." Hankey encouraged others in the neighborhood to look for signs of the objects as well.

"If we can exactly identify the time of the fall we can more effectively find evidence of it on weather radars and also video camera systems recording the sky," Hankey said, as per the update. "Any residents with door bell cameras should check for events between 12-3 PM on May 8th. There could have been a flash in the sky and/or a boom sound recorded. All residents should be alert to look for black rocks on their properties."

Meteorites are the meteoroids (small pieces of a comet or asteroid) that survive the journey through our atmosphere and reach the surface, NASA explained.

This may not be as rare as one might think as it is estimated that some 500 meteorites end up reaching the Earth's surface each year, according to the Planetary Science Institute. However, only a handful are recovered because most of them crash into the ocean or other remote places, making finds such as the one on Hopewell Township quite special.