What Was That Fireball In The Sky Above Los Angeles?

LOS ANGELES, CA — It looked very much like a fiery meteor crash landing in Downtown Los Angeles or maybe space debris or an alien invasion. But that fireball that captivated much of the city and lit up social media Wednesday night was just a Hollywood stunt, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

"PSA: A meteor did not crash into Downtown Los Angeles, and no, it's not an alien invasion...just a film shoot," tweeted the LAPD. "This is Tinseltown after all."

So how could a film crew create a fiery light streaking across the night sky? And why?

Apparently it was the work of the Red Bull Air Force's team of skydivers, wearing wingsuits fitted with LED lights and pyrotechnics, reported the Los Angeles Times. Jumping from a helicopter 4,000 feet above L.A., they flew one mile before pulling their parachutes at 1,000 feet, the newspaper reported. The captivating stunt was the energy drink's celebration of the final super moon of the year.

Reactions on planet Earth ranged from amused, to alarmed to paranoid to irritated.

"You're telling me we have an earthquake early warning app but no capacity to let folks know that the fireball in the sky is not the end times but just a movie shoot???," tweeted sprawl goth.

"Anyone else see a giant meteor or fireball in the middle of downtown Los Angeles like a few minutes ago? It looked like a meteor but it was WAY too low to the ground," tweeted Kasey Clark‏.