An earthquake shook the densely populated New York City metropolitan area on Friday, April 5, 2024. According to the US Geological Survey, residents felt rumbling across the eastern seaboard.
The agency claimed the earthquake, which struck the East Coast of the United States, caused buildings to shake and rattled nerves from Maryland to Maine. It also measured the quake as a 4.8 earthquake with its epicenter near Lebanon, New Jersey.
In addition, people reported feeling the quake in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Weather Channel reported that it was noticeable in Boston, and residents in Philadelphia claim they felt it, too. Tremors lasting several seconds were felt more than 200 miles away near the New Hampshire border.
According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck slightly before 10:30 a.m. ET. It was the strongest recorded in the Northeast in more than a decade, according to USGS records. Fortunately, the New York Fire Department said there were no initial reports of damage.
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Local and regional officials from cities in the earthquake zone launched inspections to ensure that buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure were not damaged. The New York police department’s deputy commissioner of operations, Kaz Daughtry, also issued a statement after the quake.
“While we do not have any reports of major impacts at this time,” he said, “we’re still assessing the impact.” James Pittinger, mayor of Lebanon, New Jersey, described the earthquake as “the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced.”
In an interview, Pittinger said he had not received reports of any significant damage so far. However, he noted that the shaking caused his dog to run for cover and objects to fall off his shelves. While a 4.8-magnitude temblor is not a major earthquake, even minor shaking can cause damage on the East Coast.
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The East Coast does not take similar precautions as other earthquake hotspots worldwide. Like Pittinger, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said residents felt the quake across the state. “My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred,” she wrote on X. “And we will update the public throughout the day.”
Later, in a press conference, Hochul noted that residents felt the quake as far away as Baltimore, Maryland. “This is one of the largest earthquakes on the East Coast to occur in the last century,” she said. She added that everyone should continue to take this seriously in case of aftershocks.
Furthermore, New York City Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy confirmed no reports of major impacts in the city. Authorities issued Ground stops at Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, and John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City.
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The Port Authority Transit Corp., which operates a rapid transit route between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, also suspended service. “Crews will inspect the integrity of the line out of an abundance of caution,” PATCO wrote on X. “Once the inspection is complete, service will resume.”
The Friday shaking stirred memories of the August 23, 2011, earthquake that jolted millions of people from Georgia to Canada. Registering a magnitude of 5.8, it was the strongest quake to hit the East Coast since WWII.
Unlike the recent 4.8-magnitude quake, the epicenter was in Virginia. That earthquake left cracks in the Washington Monument and spurred the White House and Capitol evacuation. It also rattled New Yorkers three weeks before the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks.
Following the quake, the official X account of the Empire State Building reassured fans on X by tweeting, “I AM FINE.”
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