EXCHANGE, Pa. — A $2.7 billion unmanned Army surveillance blimp broke loose from its mooring in Maryland on Wednesday and made its way to Pennsylvania, destroying power lines and leaving more than 20,000 people without electricity before finally coming to rest in pieces in a tree in rural Montour County.

Law enforcement and military officials descended on the blimp in Anthony Township, approximately 150 miles northeast of Philadelphia, at about 4:30 p.m. to recover the wreckage. Federal officials also were en route to collect the remains. 

The blimp dragged its tether across power lines, causing havoc in Columbia and Montour counties.

What was left of the 240-foot helium-filled blimp came down in Exchange and drew crowds of people who learned of the loose blimp via social media and national news outlets.

“It was unbelievable to see,” John Hones, of Millville, said. “I couldn’t believe how low it was getting, and then you could hear the tether dragging.”

The blimp also knocked out power to the Bloomsburg state police barracks while parts got caught in nearby trees. Bloomsburg University shut down classes because of the power outage.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command said the blimp escaped from its station at the military’s Aberdeen Proving Ground at about 12:20 p.m. and drifted northward, climbing to about 16,000 feet. It covered approximately 150 miles in about 3½ hours.

The Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System, or JLENS, surveillance system aerostat was mostly deflated by the time it landed, according to the NAADC. Two F-16s were deployed from a National Guard base in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to track the blimp, federal officials said.

JLENS is a supporting program of the Army and Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense, providing persistent, over-the-horizon radar surveillance and fire control quality data on Army and Joint Networks. It enables protection from a wide variety of threats, including manned and unmanned aircraft, cruise missiles and surface moving targets like swarming boats and tanks. The JLENS aerostat will fly at an altitude of up to 10,000 feet above sea level, according to the NAADC.

When the blimp landed, few state troopers were on the scene and residents and passersby who braved the torrential downpours began to gather in a field to catch a glimpse of what was left of the massive aircraft.

“I got notified by PPL I was without power,” Harry Hintz, of Exchange, said.

The blimp rested less than 200 yards from Hintz’s home. “It’s certainly wild to see,” he said.

Police then began to arrive in droves and were unsure what to make of the situation until it was noticed the tether was spread across power lines and went deep into the wooded area nearby.

Media outlets from across Pennsylvania soon reached the scene, but because of the rain, the massive aircraft was hard to spot.

The trailing tether line of the blimp caused damage to multiple electrical system facilities in Columbia and Schuylkill counties.

“It has not yet been determined how long repairs will take,” Dave Bonenberger, vice president for distribution operations for PPL, said.

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11 of Hazleton, said: “We were very concerned about the safety of the people on the ground across a pretty wide swath of Pennsylvania. The blimp left quite a bit of damage at ground level in its path, including disrupting power to thousands of residents, but thankfully, we have no reports of injuries yet. I am very troubled that a military blimp was able to escape from an Army installation and travel so far afield. I will be seeking some answers as to how that was allowed to happen.”

It is not known how the blimp broke loose, and federal officials said an investigation is under way.

Francis Scarcella writes for the Daily Item in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.