Residents in Orange County were alarmed when their television programming was interrupted by a doomsday message.

Shocked viewers saw an emergency banner flash across their screen accompanied by a man’s voice informing them that the end of the world was near.

The unknown man said “Realise this, extremely violent times will come,” and that the end of the world would occur on 23 September.

“It almost sounded like Hitler talking,” Stacy Laflamme told the Orange County Register.

Humanity just 2.5 minutes from apocalypse, Doomsday Clock now says

She added: “It sounded like a radio broadcast coming through the television.”

Another woman, Erin Mireles, said: “I was definitely startled, because the volume increased exponentially...I wasn’t alarmed in the sense of thinking something was wrong. I assumed it was some sort of hack."

The ominous message was in fact due to a glitch at a local radio station and affected more than one television provider.