New Bedford Mystery Sound Confuses Residents

There’s a strange sound echoing through parts of New Bedford right now, and depending on who you ask, it’s either mildly annoying or downright unsettling.

It’s not your typical city noise. Not traffic, not construction, not even the usual hum of a busy neighborhood. It only comes out to play at night time and this one has a rhythm to it. It's a steady, almost metronome-like pulse that repeats every second and a half, cutting through the air in a way that’s hard to ignore once you notice it.

One New Bedford resident, Ryan Rose, was curious enough to start asking questions after hearing it for himself. What he found didn’t exactly clear things up.

“So after asking a few neighbors we were all stumped,” Rose said. “One of them determined it was coming from an apartment complex just down the street from me and he actually called the cops not only because it was a nuisance, but because he wasn't sure if it was some sort of alarm that needed to be addressed. I still don't know what it was or came of it.”

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A Sound That’s Hard to Describe, But Impossible to Forget

Trying to explain the noise might be the strangest part of all. It's a mix between someone blowing across the top of a glass beer bottle and Joey Lawrence repeatedly saying “Whoa!” from the TV show Blossom. Over and over again.

Yes, I'm aware that's oddly specific, but also somehow spot-on. Listen for yourself:

Naturally, the theories have been flying. Some neighbors believe it could be something mechanical, like a worn-out belt on a rooftop HVAC unit or an issue with nearby wind turbines catching just the right gust. Others have leaned into the mystery, tossing around ideas like distant foghorns traveling inland or, of course, "aliens."

via GIPHY

So What Is It?

Right now, there’s no clear answer. The fact that it’s consistent, rhythmic, and loud enough to get multiple neighbors involved (and even a call to police) suggests it’s not just a one-off coincidence.

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