Sebastian Leonardo has been co-running S&J Automotive for a few years. He’s seen a few questionable cars come in, he’s seen some filthy interiors, and a few animals trapped in places they shouldn’t be. However, his shop has never been the center of attention like it is in his hometown of Magnolia, New Jersey, until it was struck by “mysterious space debris.”

The shop’s neighbors told reporters they saw a bright flash, followed promptly by an incredibly loud bang. Of course, Leonardo had no idea the object’s landing site was his shop until he showed up for work the next day.

He saw a large hole in the steel-lined ceiling, and the concrete floor was debris-covered.

“[There was a] sizable dent in a thick steel gage box. That’s when I went to all of my cameras and found the video and realized what had actually happened — a flash outside and the impact in here,” he told WPVI. “You eventually see a giant fireball come through the ceiling, and everything comes flying down. The roof with it.”

His camera wasn’t the only one to catch the space debris

Reporters spoke to homeowners close to the shop, who said their doorbell or security cameras also captured the mystery space debris striking the shop.

“It was really, really loud. The sky, the big bright light, and the big bang, it was big,” said Denise Korejko, who submitted the footage. She said it woke her and her neighbor from a deep sleep.

Astronomers, though, aren’t quick to label what hit Leonardo’s roof as space debris. Especially since one key factor is missing.

“There’s a bright flash, there’s a boom, there’s a hole. That’s three out of four things. If we had one more thing, like an item that we could identify as being extra-terrestrial, then we might say it’s something from space,” said Derrick Pitts, an astronomer with the Franklin Institute.

The auto shop is back to work

Without an object, Sebastian and his employees are back to work, answering many questions from curious locals. However, they are keen to dig through the debris and look around to find answers.

More than anything, we’re sure Sebastian is excited by all the free publicity.

“This is really a once-in-a-lifetime thing, I imagine,” he said.