Milwaukee’s South Side heard an unexplained noise Monday night, prompting residents to guess at its source. Reports came from multiple locations, but no cause has been identified.
An Unidentified Sound
The reports raised the possibility of a warning siren, but that explanation has not been confirmed. International Business Times UK reported that residents heard the sound across the South Side. Some interpreted it as words, while others described a screech, KOAT reported.
Brandon Kitts told WISN 12 News he heard the noise intermittently for about two hours. One interval lasted roughly 15 minutes, and another began about an hour later. Kitts, who makes music, said it did not resemble a siren, train or tornado, and he could not identify it.
Reports Came From Multiple Parts of the South Side
The reports weren't limited to one block. As noted by WISN 12 News, people near the Rockwell Automation clock tower heard the noise, as did people more than a mile and a half south of it. John Martinez said the sound caused his cats to panic and seemed to bounce off the surrounding houses, adding to the sense that it was traveling farther than a typical neighborhood disturbance.
Some residents speculated the noise might have come from a tornado siren, but that has not been confirmed. WISN reported that Milwaukee police, the Department of Neighborhood Services and Milwaukee County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic did not receive reports about the noise.
City Says Its Systems Weren't the Source
The Office of Emergency Management said its system was not the source of the noise and added that its system isn't designed to broadcast audio in the first place, according to the same report. That statement rules out one obvious explanation, but it doesn't offer an alternative one.
What Outdoor Warning Sirens Are For
Milwaukee County Emergency Management Director Paul Riegel said outdoor warning sirens are intended to alert people who are outdoors when a warning is issued, according to NY1.
No agency has claimed responsibility or identified a cause. The source of Monday night’s sound remains unknown, as does whether it will be heard again.
