16 hours ago
Mom Thinks She's Safe at Home Playing With Kids—Then Hears Terrifying Sound
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A mom of two who had set out to capture a cute moment with her daughter on camera ended up recording something altogether more unsettling.
Arley Herrema, from Arlington, Texas, was at home with her 3-year-old daughter Ruby Jo and 7-month-old son Hayes when she inadvertently recorded the sound of something that left all three of them terrified.
"My daughter was being cute playing hairdresser, so I wanted to capture the moment," Herrema told Newsweek.
What she ended up filming instead was their reaction to the sound of a plane flying low over their home. Herrema posted the footage of their reaction to the sound to her TikTok @arleyherrema.
Both Herrema and her daughter appear alarmed and confused by the noise, while her son starts to cry in the immediate aftermath.
"I was terrified when I heard the noise. I did not know what it was initially," Herrema said. "Honestly, I thought it was a bomb at first, but then my rational thinking kicked in and realized it was a plane."
It turned out what Herrema and her kids had heard was actually a "flyover" to mark Memorial Day. "We live close to the Rangers [baseball] stadium [at Globe Life Field] and they were playing a game that day," she said.
Thankfully, Herrema said both Ruby Jo and Hayes calmed down "pretty quickly" after the initial incident, and she then decided it was something worth sharing to social media. She could never have predicted what would happen next.
"I thought it was funny after the fact and crazy that I caught it on camera," Herrema said. "I had no idea it would spark such a political debate in the comments!"
At the time of writing, Herrema's video has been watched over 3.8 million times. Many of those commenting on the clip have been eager to draw comparisons with what is happening in Gaza.
"Imagine the kids in Palestine," the top comment on the video reads. "Now imagine all those babies in Palestine hearing that followed by explosions and carnage all around," a second wrote.
A third commented: "Poor Palestinian children gotta go through that everyday multiple times a day and see worse and they know that sound is 100 percent a threat and not just a plane."
Herrema said she had similar thoughts in the aftermath of her family's experience.
"I had that thought as well when it happened and how scary it is for children and mothers who are being directly impacted by war," she added.
"I didn't however just think of one side or even the current situation happening in the world, but any and everyone directly impacted by war past or present."
That moment of reflection on the terrifying consequences of military conflict left her feeling a sense of gratitude for where Herrema and her family are in the world. "Definitely makes you grateful to live in the U.S.A.," she said.
Figures published by the U.N., based on data from the Gaza Health Ministry, as of June 18, 2025, show that 55,637 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict. Those from March 22, 2025, gleaned from the same source, indicate 15,613 Palestinian children have died.
The U.N. says Israeli media sources suggest there have been over 1,200 Israeli fatalities. At least 33 children are thought to have died. The Israeli figures include the fatalities from Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023.
