Paul Jenkins of Apple Valley described a recent unexplained “boom” as a “muffled explosion” that shook his house and scared his dogs.
Jenkins was among several people who contacted the Daily Press about the mysterious boom that happened at about 10:03 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23.
Residents across Apple Valley said they heard and felt the sound between Kiowa and Navajo roads, and between Highway 18 and Tussing Ranch Road.
The majority of people said the sound seemed to originate from near Apple Valley High School on Navajo Road.
Boom theories thrive
Sara Russell said the “boom’s vibration” set off her car alarm, as it sat parked in the driveway west of the high school.
“I just got home from work and was grabbing a Coke from the fridge when I heard and felt the boom,” Russell said. “It didn’t sound like a gunshot or fireworks.”
The U.S. The Geological Survey reported no significant earthquake activity in the area during that time.
As with previous incidents of unexplained booms, many took to social media Tuesday night to speculate on the sound and vibrations.
Some claimed the boom was caused by an earthquake, gunshots, fireworks, thunder, a sonic boom or blasts from nearby quarries.
History of booms
Mysterious and unexplained booms, rumbles and vibrations have a history in the High Desert.
On April 23 and 24, 2026, residents in parts of Apple Valley, Adelanto, Barstow, Helendale, Lucerne Valley and Victorville said they heard and felt “ground-shaking sonic-booms,” the Daily Press reported.
Unexplained loud “rumbles” on Jan. 8, 2026, rattled homes and properties across the High Desert, from Apple Valley to Lancaster, and Barstow to Oak Hills.
In November 2025, unidentified “boom” sounds shook homes and rattled nerves across the High Desert, the Daily Press reported.
In February 2025, Phelan residents reported a “boom” sound that shook homes and scared animals and people, according to the Daily Press.
In January 2024, residents in Apple Valley reported nightly sounds of unidentified and mysterious “explosions,” or “loud booms,” that shook homes and rattled nerves, the Daily Press reported.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Another night, another ‘unexplained boom’ in the High Desert
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press | USA TODAY Network
