Rare magnitude 4.8 earthquake rattles New Jersey and New York, is felt across Northeast
NEW YORK — A rare magnitude 4.8 earthquake rattled New Jersey on Friday, shaking buildings in Manhattan and sending tremors across the Northeast United States, a region unfamiliar with much seismic activity.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was felt across New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. It struck about 40 miles southwest of Manhattan at 10:23 a.m. Eastern time. Its epicenter was less than 1 mile northwest of the unincorporated community of Oldwick, New Jersey.
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Weak shaking was felt from Washington, D.C., to Maine, including in Boston, Philadelphia and Albany, New York.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but in New York City, people reported feeling buildings sway. Then, at 11:02 a.m., they received a beeping emergency alert on their phones urging them to stay indoors and call 911 if injured.
At busy intersections, people’s cellphones shrieked as a series of the same alerts warned of aftershocks.
In midtown Manhattan, convenience store proprietor Arun Kumar, 50, said he thought the rattling was a heavy truck passing nearby.
“But it felt a little weird, a little different, you know?” he said.
Maria Marta, 75, who was visiting from Buenos Aires, said she barely felt a tremor. But she lived in the city in the 1980s and experienced an earthquake then.
“It’s New York, you know?” she said Friday. “Anything can happen.”
The Federal Aviation Administration initially warned that the quake could disrupt air traffic facilities in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Three hours after the quake, Newark Liberty International Airport’s “air train” service, which carries passengers between the airport train station and the terminals, remained suspended for inspections.
President Joe Biden said Friday from the White House that he had spoken with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
“He thinks everything is under control,” Biden said of Murphy. “He’s not too concerned.”
The USGS said there was “a low likelihood of casualties and damage” from the quake.
According to the agency, strong shaking was felt at the epicenter, as defined by the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. That’s enough to be felt by everyone, but cause only slight damage.
A large part of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast felt weak shaking, according to people who filed reports to the USGS’ “Did You Feel It?” tracking service. Weak shaking is defined as being felt quite noticeably by people indoors, especially on the upper floors of a building, and may rock standing motor vehicles slightly.
