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Possible meteor seen in suburbs

People across the suburbs were treated to a flash of brilliant light around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday when what appears to have been a meteor passed overhead.

The flashes were reported all over the Midwest. YouTube user Mike Austin of captured the event on his dashboard camera while driving in Michigan.

The American Meteor Society received about 200 reports of a "fireball meteor" seen over Illinois and other states, ABC 7 Chicago reported.

The Meteor Society's website, amsmeteors.org, was down around 9:50 p.m. from the increase in traffic related to the sighting.

"Major event in Michigan. Server is getting overloaded. We'll be back ASAP," a website message read.

It urged people who had seen the fireball to report it at fireballs.imo.net.

The National Weather Service in Detroit said it had received dozens of reports of a bright light and thunder-like sound, but it said it was not weather-related, the Associated Press reported.

Here in the suburbs, many on social media reported seeing the flash, including in Schaumburg, Buffalo Grove, Pingree Grove, Lombard and Crystal Lake.

The apparent meteor lasts just a couple of seconds on the dashcam video supplied by Mike Austin, who saw the flash in Michigan. COURTESY OF YOUTUBE USER MIKE AUSTIN
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