I watched from SF and saw nothing unusual
I watched the shuttle fly over from San Francisco and saw no debris or flashes. I saw most of the potential flight path - clouds obscured my view to the east, but they probably would've done the same thing to this mystery photographer. I also waited several minutes for a sonic boom, but heard nothing.
The other photographer who has published pictures with debris took them in the eastern Sierras.
Only time I've ever seen the Shuttle.