Earthquake centered near New York City rattles the Northeast
NEW YORK — An earthquake shook the densely populated New York City metropolitan area Friday morning, the US Geological Survey said, with residents reporting feeling like they were rumbling in the Northeast.
The agency reported an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7, centered near Lebanon, New Jersey, or about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of New York City and 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Philadelphia.
The New York Fire Department said there were no initial reports of damage. New York Mayor Eric Adams had been briefed on the earthquake, his spokesman Fabien Levy said, adding: “While we have no reports of major impacts at this time, we are still assessing the impact.”
In downtown Manhattan, the usual cacophony of traffic grew louder as motorists honked their horns through the temporarily shaking streets. Some Brooklyn residents heard a booming sound and their building shook. At an apartment complex in Manhattan’s East Village, a resident from more earthquake-prone California calmed nervous neighbors.
People in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Connecticut and other parts of the East Coast who were not used to earthquakes also reported feeling the ground shaking.
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 we will keep the public informed throughout the day,” Hochul said.
The shaking brought back memories of the Aug. 23, 2011, earthquake that shocked tens of millions of people from Georgia to Canada. With a magnitude of 5.8, it was the strongest earthquake to hit the East Coast since World War II. The epicenter was in Virginia.
That earthquake left cracks in the Washington Monument, spurred the evacuation of the White House and the Capitol and roiled New Yorkers three weeks before the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
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Associated Press journalists from around the country contributed to this report.