An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 centered near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, shook the northeastern U.S. between New York and Philadelphia on Friday morning. Millions of people in the area felt the quake, which caused no major damage but startled residents unaccustomed to such tremors. Baltimore to Massachusetts reported feeling the tremors, with some pictures and plates falling off walls in homes. Travel was affected as Amtrak slowed trains and a Philadelphia-area rail line suspended service as a precaution.
The earthquake caused flights to be diverted, traffic to be snarled on roads and rails, and some bridges and infrastructure to be inspected for damage. At least five flights en route to Newark were diverted to Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania, while the Seton Hall men’s basketball team was stuck in Indianapolis. The Holland Tunnel between Jersey City and lower Manhattan was temporarily closed for inspection. At the U.N. headquarters in New York, the shaking interrupted a briefing on a Security Council session about the threat of famine in Gaza.
The earthquake was felt as far as Vermont and New Hampshire, with some residents in those areas initially mistaking the tremors for snow falling off roofs. In areas further south, such as Connecticut, residents recognized the shaking as a quake, some based on prior experiences from their native countries. While earthquakes are less common on the East Coast, they can still have a significant impact due to the rocky terrain that spreads the energy across long distances. President Joe Biden assured support for the affected areas, and officials in New York City reported no major safety or infrastructure problems as a result of the quake.
Residents in New York City, New Jersey, and other areas affected by the quake shared their experiences. A woman in the Astoria neighborhood was recording a video of her dog when her mirror started banging against the wall from the shaking. This quake, with a magnitude of 4.8, is not large enough to cause significant damage, but it did rattle residents and authorities across the northeastern U.S. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the last significant earthquake in the area occurred in 2011, causing cracks in the Washington Monument and rattling residents ahead of the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Despite the scare, officials and residents managed to cope with the unexpected event and assess any potential damages.
