A 4.7-magnitude earthquake shook the New York City metropolitan area Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake struck near Lebanon, New Jersey, about 72 kilometers (45 miles) west of New York City and 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Philadelphia, according to the agency. The New York City Fire Department reported no initial damage.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre initially measured the quake at a magnitude of 5.5.
"New York City just felt the impacts of a 4.8 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter of Lebanon, New Jersey. @NYCMayor is being briefed. While we do not have any reports of major impacts at this time, we’re still assessing the impact," Fabien Levy, the current Deputy Mayor for Communications in New York City wrote on X.
In midtown Manhattan, the usual cacophony of traffic grew louder as motorists blared horns on momentarily trembling streets. Some Brooklyn residents heard a loud boom and felt their buildings shake. In Manhattan's East Village, a California native, accustomed to earthquakes, reassured anxious neighbours. People in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Connecticut, and other East Coast regions not accustomed to earthquakes also felt the shaking.
The tremors evoked memories of the Aug. 23, 2011, earthquake that rattled millions from Georgia to Canada. Registering a magnitude of 5.8, it was the most powerful quake to hit the East Coast since World War II, with its epicentre in Virginia.