GODFREY - Several Godfrey residents between Humbert Road and the Schnucks located at the terminus of Godfrey Road reported hearing a loud sound lasting several minutes around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
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Mike Quinn, of Godfrey, said he was in the parking lot of that Schnucks with a friend when he heard a sound he described as "apocalyptic." Quinn, who has formerly lived near military bases in Colorado, power plants, train tracks, and other various forms of industry, said he had never heard anything like it in his entire life. He described the noise as a mixture between a rushing wind and a brass instrument, adding it last about 10 minutes and started and stopped abruptly. His friend went into the building, Quinn said, because she was afraid of the sound. He said it could not be heard indoors.
When Quinn attempted to capture the sound with his phone, he failed.
"It was weird," he said. "Not only could it not pick up the sound, it could not pick up anything. I couldn't hear the playback of my voice or any other background noise."
It should be noted Quinn is an avid audio engineering enthusiast and musician, and is aware of both his phone's settings and ability to record audio - even outdoors.
Across the village in the Villa Marie subdivision near Humbert Road, Steven Schmoeller, said he heard the same sound from his open window. He took to social media about it, and discovered several other people across Godfrey had heard the same sound. He described it as the sound of a vehicle passing rapidly on a highway, but the sound was stationary.
The origin of it is still unknown at this time, however. Quinn said he felt as if the sound were coming from the west, and believed its origin to be in the sky.
Possible explanations for the sound include echoing barge traffic, possibly something from the nearby railroad tracks, local industry or even a nearby power plant, but as of right now, none of these can be confirmed.
Neither the Godfrey Fire Protection District or Madison County Sheriff's Office reported being aware of the sound, nor did anyone report it at this time.
For the handful of people awake at that hour who heard it, though, the sound is mysterious. Both on and off the record sources reported being frightened by how loud and powerful the sound was, and no one had heard anything similar to it in the past.
Anyone who may be able to shed some light on the source of the sound is invited to contact reporter Cory Davenport on his personal cellphone - (618) 419-3046.
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