Randolph White first thought a 'meteorite come from outer space'
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Former fighter pilot James D Murphy discusses the debris discovered in the search for the missing F-35 on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime.’
A South Carolina man went viral for a wild interview with a local news station after he heard a presumed F-35 jet crash outside his home while he was "taking a shave" but didn’t call anyone because he didn’t know what it was.
"Randolph White retired from his job at the papermill in Georgetown 10 years ago. He lives in this house with his wife in a very rural area of Williamsburg County. He loves living about two miles away from where he grew up. Normally it’s pretty quiet," News 2 reporter Raymond Owens explained. The segment then cut to an interview with White that exploded on social media.
With a distinct raspy voice, White, 72, informed viewers he was "in the bathroom taking a shave" when he heard the crash.
"I heard a screeching, between a screech and a whistle," White said before imitating the noise with a clip that has caught the imagination of the public.
A South Carolina man went viral for a wild interview with a local news station after he heard a presumed F-35 jet crash while he was "taking a shave" but didn’t call anyone because he didn’t know what it was. (Screengrab)
"I said, ‘What in the world is this?’ And I heard a boom," White continued. "And my whole house shook."
The reporter said White didn’t realize it was a plane at the time, so he didn’t call anybody.
"The first thought that came to me… I said ‘Well, did a meteorite come from outer space or something?’ And I said, ‘Well if it was an airplane it needs to be reported because that thing was flying just too low," White said.
U..S. Air Force flies the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet during a public display at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, March 17, 2018. (Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The following day, White noticed authorities who were searching for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II belonging to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort that went missing when a "mishap" caused its pilot to eject.
When he saw helicopters he thought "someone must have robbed a bank, kill some people" but he eventually realized authorities were searching for the plane.
"Just through the grace of God, nobody didn’t get hurt," White said. "Because there’s a church right up there, about a half mile."
White quickly went viral for the outlandish interview:
NEW: Williamsburg county local Randolph White explains what he heard when the F-35 fighter jet crashed near his home.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 20, 2023
“I heard a screeching… between a screech and a whistle.”
“Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah.”
“I said, what in the world is this? And I heard a BOOM and my whole… pic.twitter.com/w3GI5qoQzC
Joint Base Charleston told Fox News Digital that the debris field was found in Williamsburg County, South Carolina.
FOX News’ Andrea Vacciano and Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
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Brian Flood is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
