• A piece of metal fell from the sky and almost hit a police officer, Maine's public safety department said.
• It said the object was likely from a plane passing overhead.
• The Maine Capitol Police chief said the object "shocked" the officer when it fell next to him.

A piece of metal fell from the sky over Maine and almost hit a police officer, officials said, adding that they believe it came from a passing plane.

The "sleeve-like" object, which weighed six to seven pounds, fell from the sky on Monday, Maine's Department of Public Safety said in a news release cited by CNN.

It "landed at a high velocity" approximately six to eight feet from Maine Capitol Police Screener Craig Donahue, who was walking outside of the state Capitol, the department said, per CNN.

Two people were nearby and saw the object fall from the sky, the department added.

Officials did not identify the piece, but said they believe it came from a large plane that was passing overhead, and said that the Federal Aviation Administration was investigating, CNN said.

"The FAA has launched an investigation while attempting to locate the source of the part which is likely from a large airliner on an international route," the statement said.

Insider has contacted the Maine Department of Public Safety, the Maine State Police, the FAA, and the Maine Capitol Police for comment.

Maine Capitol Police Chief Matthew Clancy said the falling object had "definitely shocked" Donahue, the officer who was nearby.

"He was walking back to the building and got quite a wakeup call," Clancy said, according to the Associated Press.

He said that all planes who flew over the area were alerted, and that all of them had landed safely, the AP reported.

Two aviation experts told the Kennebec Journal that they did not recognize the object and were skeptical that it came from a plane.

 Business Insider