'Fireball' lights up New England sky in police dashcam video

People reported the flash throughout the northeastern US and parts of Canada

A police officer working the late shift was out to nab some drivers breaking the speed limit - but he was met by a speeder of a different sort: a fireball that lit up the midnight sky.

Dashcam footage recorded by the Portland Maine Police Sgt Tim Farris shows the perpetrator streak through the clouds just before 01.00 am.

“You never know what you are going to see on duty,” the PMPD wrote on its Facebook page. “Sgt Farris was looking for speeders while parked in front of the central fire station and was able to observe some visitors ‘from away’ .... far away.”

“Let’s hope the visitors are friendly,” they added.

The Mount Washington Observatory said they were receiving “preliminary reports” of a “fireball/meteor seen/heard over New England”. However, they were unable to see it due to fog and high winds.

An onlooker in Framingham, Massachusetts, was awestruck by the sight.

“One of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in the night sky,” the witness told Boston.com. “I was driving east on the mass pike heading home when there was flashing behind me, then the sky in front of my car started to light up.

"Looking out my left car window I could see what seemed to be a large greenish fire ball breaking apart and moving very fast heading to my best guess east or northeast almost the same direction I was going.”

The American Meteor Society said they received more than 150 reports of the flash from people throughout New England, as well as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and parts of Canada.

It remains unclear whether or not the officer was able to ticket the speeding fireball.