Earthquake rattles Northeast with shaking felt from New England to DC region

CNN

By Ray Sanchez and Alaa Elassar, CNN

New York (CNN) — A 4.8 magnitude earthquake rattled buildings across parts of the Northeast Friday morning, according to the US Geological Survey, with reports of shaking being felt from Washington, DC to New York City to New England.

It was the third largest earthquake recorded in the area in the last 50 years, the USGS said.

In a region unaccustomed to earthquakes, stunned residents across large swaths of the Northeast described initially thinking of a passing tractor trailer or freight train before realizing it was something more. With authorities reporting little or no damage, and minimal travel disruptions, people soon resumed their normal lives.

“At first I thought it was a big truck driving down a nearby road or the oil burner shaking inside my house,” said Jeanne Evola, who described her whole house shaking in Franklin Square on Long Island.

She ran outside as the quake intensified. She found her neighbors describing the same rattling, realizing they had experienced an earthquake in a suburb about 20 miles east of New York City.

The New York Police Department said there were no damages or injuries reported.

“New Yorkers should go about their normal day,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said at a news briefing later Friday.

There is a low likelihood of aftershocks, New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zachary Iscol said.

USGS said the earthquake occurred at 10:23 a.m. The New York City Fire Department said the department received reports of shaking buildings about 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 some parts of the New York City area, startled residents spilled out from tenements and row houses onto the sidewalks in front of their buildings in the minutes after the shaking stopped.

“Everything started vibrating then I felt the building shake,” said David Rodriguez, a resident of Hoboken, New Jersey. “I thought it was a large truck outside until everything started swaying. But it had that sound of something swaying from side to side.”

The X account for the Empire State Building posted: “I AM FINE.”

Long after the quake subsided, residents were startled anew by loud emergency alerts on their mobile phones. At 11:46 a.m. came another alert, this one warning of potential aftershocks.

“New Yorkers are not accustomed to having earthquakes in our state,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters. “Everyone should continue to take this seriously.”

‘Good quality New York moment’

More than 23 million people felt “light shaking,” which is felt by most people and can cause cars to rock noticeably and cause a sensation like a truck striking a building, according to the USGS.

About 9,000 people felt “strong shaking,” which is described by the USGS as “felt by all” and can move heavy furniture and cause slight damage. This would occur closest to the epicenter near Lebanon, New Jersey. And nearly 300,000 people felt “moderate shaking,” which could be strong enough to break windows or cause dishes to fall.

Reed Whitmont, who lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, was sitting in bed inside his old apartment building when everything started shaking. Then the cat bolted.

“It went on for about a minute, then I stuck my head out the window and all the neighbors were shouting and asking each other if they felt that too. Good quality New York moment.”

In Jersey City, New Jersey, Kristina Fiore was sitting at her desk in her apartment when her building shook for a few seconds.

In video from inside the home, objects rattled as a cat runs away. “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 I could tell that my 5-year-old was worried about what was happening. Also my cats were really freaking out. They were scared and confused for like an hour after the quake.”

At the Boonton Coffee Co. shop in Boonton, New Jersey, a video shared on social media showed customers running out of the store in confusion when the building started shaking. Some people are heard panicking. Others continued ordering with their barista.

The light shaking would be unlikely to cause damage, per initial data indications from the USGS. Initial reports indicated a 4.8 magnitude quake, but that was revised to 4.7 before being adjusted back to 4.8. This could change again as more data is reviewed.

The epicenter was just northeast of Lebanon, New Jersey, less than 50 miles west of New York City, according to the USGS.

The light quake was shallow, just below the surface at 5 km depth, which made it easier for residents in affected areas to feel the shaking. Initial reports indicate shaking was widely felt in New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

Flights to the New York Kennedy, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Newark airports are being held, 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 earthquake, meaning flights were being held while controllers moved to an alternate location.

”Nobody’s going to go anywhere for the time being,” a controller said over the radio frequency.

The runways were in the process of being inspected for damage.

At noon the FAA reported a ground stop remained in effect at Newark, and the controllers were relocating back to the tower.

Amtrak reported train service was being slowed due to the earthquake.

“As of 11:05 a.m. ET, due to the 4.8 earthquake in New Jersey, Amtrak has initiated its track inspection protocol. Speed restrictions have been implemented throughout the Northeast until all inspections are completed,” Amtrak posted on social media.

NJ Transit said system-wide service was subject to up to 20-minute delays in both directions due to bridge inspections after the earthquake.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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CNN’s Paul P. Murphy, Greg Wallace, Pete Muntean and John Miller contributed to this story.