New York
CNN
—
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck buildings across the Northeast on Friday morning, with tremors felt from Washington, DC to New York City to Maine, according to the US Geological Survey.
It was the third largest earthquake in the region in the past five decades and the strongest in New Jersey in more than 240 years, according to the USGS. The rare quake was felt by millions of people hundreds of miles away, disrupting work and school life and jangling nerves shortly before an early spring day returned to normal.
In a region unaccustomed to earthquakes, stunned residents across large swaths of the Northeast described what they first thought was a passing tractor trailer or freight train. Officials found little or no damage, and with minimal travel disruptions, people quickly resumed their daily lives.
Gene Evola, who described shaking throughout his house in Franklin Square, Long Island, said, “At first I thought a big truck was driving down the road nearby or that an oil burner was shaking inside my house.
She ran out as the earthquake intensified. In a suburb about 20 miles east of New York City, she felt an earthquake and saw neighbors describing the same noise.
The New York Police Department reported no damage or injuries.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference later Friday that “New Yorkers should go about their normal day.”
There have been at least 18 aftershocks since the quake, including a magnitude 4.0 southwest of Gladstone, 20 minutes from the epicenter, at 5:59 p.m., the USGS said Friday night. There is a 74% chance of aftershocks of magnitude 3 and above in the next week, and a 1% chance of aftershocks of magnitude 5 and above. USGS Ratings in its aftershock forecast.
Brittany Newman/AP
New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged New Yorkers to “go about their normal day.”
The USGS said the initial tremors occurred at 10:23 a.m. The New York City Fire Department said the department received reports of shaking buildings at 10:30 a.m.
“We are responding to calls and evaluating structural stability,” the department said in a statement. “There are no major incidents at this time.”
In parts of the New York City area, startled residents poured out of apartments and row houses onto the sidewalks in front of their buildings within minutes of the tremors stopping.
“Everything started shaking,” said David Rodriguez, who lives in Hoboken, New Jersey. “I thought it was a big truck outside until everything started shaking. But it sounded like something was moving from side to side.
X's account of the Empire State Building: “I'm fine.”
Long after the quake subsided, residents were startled again by loud emergency alerts on their mobile phones. Another warning came at 11:46 a.m., warning of possible aftershocks. A city emergency management official who addressed the delay called the quake a “no-notice event” and said officials needed to confirm the information they were receiving.
“New Yorkers are not used to earthquakes in our state,” New York Gov. Cathy Hochul told reporters. “Everybody should continue to take this very seriously.”
NYC Department of Buildings Commissioner James Oddo requested the “cooperation” of construction professionals to address the damage to the city's 1.1 million buildings.
In Hunterdon County, New Jersey, where Lebanon Township is located, county officials said there were no injuries or evacuations in the area surrounding the quake.
The Board of County Commissioners said damage assessments are underway and officials are beginning to receive reports of structural problems in buildings.
Three neighboring homes in Newark, New Jersey, were evacuated after residents reported structural damage, according to the city's director of public safety.
No injuries were reported but firefighters responded to calls about structural damage to three buildings about 30 miles from the epicenter, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frege said.
Ten families — 25 adults and three children — have been displaced, he said.
All Newark city buildings were closed. Frege said they are surveying buildings for damage and power outages.
In Essex County, New Jersey, the earthquake is believed to have caused a water main break, according to Montclair Township's Office of Emergency Management.
In Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Police Department received more than 200 calls “within 20 minutes” after the quake, according to Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel said. The calls overloaded the system.
“We were able to get our call base back within 30 minutes,” Bethel said.
According to the USGS, more than 23 million people felt “mild shaking,” which is felt by most people and can cause cars to vibrate noticeably and feel like a truck hitting a building.
About 9,000 people felt “strong tremors”. What the USGS described as “perceived by all” and can move heavy furniture and cause minor damage. It occurs very close to an earthquake near Lebanon, New Jersey. About 300,000 people felt a “moderate tremor,” strong enough to break windows or fall dishes.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
People walk through lower Manhattan after experiencing a 4.8 magnitude earthquake on Friday.
Reid Whitmont, who lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, was sitting on his bed inside his old apartment building when everything started shaking. Then the cat knocked.
“It lasted about a minute, and then I put my head out the window, and all the neighbors were shouting and asking each other if they felt it. A good quality New York moment.”
Christina Fiore was sitting at her desk in her apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey, when her building shook for a few seconds.
In the video from inside the house, objects rattled like a cat running. “It's okay. It's an earthquake!: Fiore is heard saying. At first, Fiore thought there was an explosion at a nearby metal recycling plant, but the shaking got stronger. “I said out loud, 'It's an earthquake,' because my 5-year-old was worried about what was going on. I could tell. My cats were really mad. For an hour after the earthquake they were scared and confused.
Video shared on social media shows customers running out of the Boonton Coffee Co store in Boonton, New Jersey in confusion as the building begins to shake. Some are also heard screeching. Others continued to order with their barista.
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Light flicker is unlikely to cause damage, For preliminary data indications From the USGS. Initial reports indicated a 4.8-magnitude quake, but it was downgraded to 4.7 before being downgraded to 4.8. This may change again as additional data is reviewed.
The quake struck northeast of Lebanon, New Jersey, about 50 miles west of New York City, according to the USGS.
The mild earthquake was shallow, about 5 km below the surface, making tremors easily felt by residents of the affected areas. Initial reports suggested tremors were widely felt in New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
Some air and rail services were affected
The USGS said several factors influence the magnitude of earthquakes, including the geography of the region.
There was an earthquake A serious conclusion from the USGS A shallow earthquake considers: 0 to 70 km depth. The energy released by an earthquake is attenuated by distance, so a shallow earthquake of the same magnitude at depth will produce more intense shaking at the surface.
The rocks that make up the earth's crust and crust in the eastern United States are much older, denser, and harder than those in the west—compacted by time, According to the USGS. This makes them more efficient conduits for the seismic energy released by an earthquake, allowing it to travel over longer distances in a more powerful form.
Buildings in the Northeast are older and may not have been designed for the latest earthquake code, the USGS said. This is of particular concern for narrow buildings such as houses. Earthquakes tend to swing back and forth faster in the east than in the west, putting smaller buildings at risk of damage, the USGS noted.
Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images
First responders arrive to inspect homes in Lebanon, New Jersey, the epicenter of a magnitude 4.8 earthquake.
Some air and rail transport in the northeast was affected by the quake.
Flights to New York's Kennedy, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Newark airports were initially operated, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The air traffic control tower at Newark Liberty Airport was being evacuated, a controller said in a radio transmission after the quake, meaning flights were grounded while controllers were relocated.
“Nobody's going anywhere right now,” a controller said over the radio.
The runways were under investigation for damage.
At noon the FAA announced a ground shutdown was in effect at Newark, and controllers relocated back to the tower.
Amtrak said train service was slowed after the quake so track inspections could be done.
“As of 3:30 p.m. ET, all inspections have been completed and service has been restored to normal speeds. Remaining delays should be expected,” Amtrak Published In X.
This story has been updated with additional information.
