Watch: Sparkling streak of fiery light appears in night sky over LA

A shimmering streak of light was captured on camera early Tuesday morning by surprised sky-watchers in Southern California.

The fiery light, possibly caused by falling debris, appeared around 1:45 p.m. with reports of sightings over a widespread area in Los Angeles and beyond.

A glitter of lights appeared early Tuesday April 2, 2024 over Los Angeles. Video broadcast Tuesday April 2, 2024 on Today in LA.

"The light from the front was bright blue," said Jarred Gonzalez, who captured the light on video in the Pico Union area. "It was visible to us for a good 30 seconds, then disappeared from our line of sight."

Roseleen Browne was talking her dog in Hollywood when she caught a glimpse of something unusual soaring through the sky.

“It was just like a sparkler in the sky, and I couldn’t believe my eyes," Browne said. "A girl was walking by, and I was like 'Did you see this?' It was just magical. It didn’t seem very real."

NBCLA has reached out the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX, NORAD and Jet Propulsion Laboratory for more details.

Space.com reported that the space debris was the orbital module of China's Shenzhou 15 spacecraft.

The lights followed a SpaceX rocket launch about six hours earlier from Vandenberg Space Force Base about 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The rocket and its exhaust plume were illuminated by the setting sun against the backdrop of a darkening sky, making for spectacular views around Los Angeles.

There was no evidence to confirm a connection between the Falcon 9 rocket launched Monday night and the lights seen early Tuesday morning.

The Falcon 9 rocket delivered about two dozen Starlink internet satellites to low-Earth orbit. The first-stage rocket booster landed at sea on a droneship.

The lights appeared similar to those seen over the West Coast in March 2021 when debris from a SpaceX rocket did not entirely burn up before entering Earth's atmosphere.