Didn't see this thread until just now but blimey, Route 9 you say. I live not far from a stretch of road where people have reported similar things over the years and the lost time element always gets me. That's the bit that's hardest to explain away.
What time roughly were you driving? And did you notice anything in the sky beforehand or was it just suddenly you were further down the road than you should have been? I ask because a mate of mine had something happen on a dual carriageway near Norwich a few years back, completely different country obviously, but he described it exactly the same way - one minute he was at one point on the road and then just... wasn't. No memory of the gap at all.
Would be good to hear if anyone else on here was on that route Thursday. Even if you didnt experience anything strange yourself, extra witnesses to what the conditions were like that night would help build a picture.