After I cut power at the breaker, the outlet still sparked when I tried to remove it.?

Question

I know the power was off, and I disconnected 2 black leads, but the white leads sparked a little bit, 3 times, when I touched them with the screwdriver. Also, the room lights flickered once. I went back and shut off a half dozen more breakers, including the lights and the sparking stopped. Why?

Pat F85 · Accepted Answer

The lights and the outlets are likely on different circuits. And yes, there could be voltage in the white neutral if somewhere else that same neutral is connected to a running electric motor, like a fridge or air conditioner, it's searching for ground.
Get a volt meter or a test light at least.

After I cut power at the breaker, the outlet still sparked when I tried to remove it.?

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