An earthquake shook the densely populated New York metropolitan area Friday morning, with residents across the Northeast reporting hearing rumbling in areas where people are not used to feeling the ground move, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The agency reported a preliminary magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Lebanon, New Jersey, or about 45 miles west of New York City and about 80 miles north of Philadelphia. According to USGS statistics, more than 42 million people may have felt the earthquake.
The New York City Fire Department said there were no initial reports of damage. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he had been briefed on the quake, and his spokesman Fabien Levy added: “There are no reports of major impacts at this time, but we are still assessing the impact.” Ta.
In Midtown Manhattan, the usual traffic cacophony grew louder as motorists honked their horns on the briefly shuddering streets. Some Brooklyn residents heard a thud and the sound of buildings shaking. At an apartment complex in Manhattan’s East Village, a resident from the earthquake-prone state of California calmed nervous neighbors.
Customers murmured at a Lower Manhattan coffee shop as the unexpected earthquake rattled dishes and shook concrete counters. “I noticed the door frame was shaking,” barista India Hayes said. “I thought there would never be an earthquake here.”
People in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Connecticut and other parts of the Northeast reported shaking. The quake, which lasted several seconds, was felt more than 320 miles away near the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul posted on X that the earthquake was felt across the state. “My team is assessing the impact and any damage that may have occurred and will be open to the public throughout the day,” Hochul said.
The shaking evoked memories of the Aug. 23, 2011 earthquake that shook tens of millions of people from Georgia to Canada. The 5.8 magnitude earthquake was the largest earthquake to hit the East Coast since World War II. The epicenter was in Virginia.
The earthquake cracked the Washington Monument, prompted the evacuation of the White House and the Capitol, and shocked New Yorkers three weeks before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
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Associated Press writers from around the country, including Jake Offenhart in New York City and Seth Borenstein in Washington, contributed to this report.