Police said a fish that dropped on a transponder caused a power outage affecting more than 2,000 residents (Picture: Facebook/Sayreville Police Department)

A fish that dropped from the sky is believed to have caused a power outage across an entire neighborhood.

Cops believe the culprit was an osprey that lost grip of its meal. Its fish fell on a transponder and cause the outage on August 12 that affected about 2,100 residents of Sayreville, New Jersey.

The local police department poked fun at the situation, photoshopping police tape over an image of a fish and writing ‘suspect sketch’ over a picture of an osprey.

‘Todays power outage was a major inconvenience for so many of our residents,’ the Sayreville Police Department wrote on Facebook the day of the incident.

‘Please let us not forget the victim in this senseless death. Gilligan was a hard working family man. He was a father to thousands of children.

‘The suspect was last seen flying South. If you see him do not try to apprehend him. Although he isn’t believed to be armed he may still be very dangerous.’

Cops concluded that anyone with information should ‘please contact Det John Silver who handles all of our fish cases’.

The Jersey Central Power and Light Company also had a humorous take on the incident.

Ospreys were on the endangered species list in New Jersey less than a decade ago (Picture: Getty Images)

‘If you’ve ever dropped your ice cream cone at the fair, you know the feeling,’ company spokesman Chris Hoenig told CNN of the osprey.

Ospreys were endangered species in New Jersey less than 10 years ago, Hoenig said.

‘We have a very active osprey and raptor protection program, which includes surveying and monitoring nests and following strict protocols in relocating osprey nests that are located on our equipment or too close to power lines,’ he said.

Hoenig added that the company appreciated the patience of customers as they restored power.

‘Animal contact is a common cause of power outages; however, fish are not on the list of frequent offenders,’ he said.

Sayreville is located just southwest of Staten Island, a borough of New York City.

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Cops say an osprey dropped its meal and that it caused a power outage in a New Jersey neighborhood.