New York and several cities along the US East Coast were jolted awake by an unexpected visitor on Friday—a rare earthquake that left residents shaken and buildings trembling. The magnitude-4.8 quake, striking near Lebanon, New Jersey, at 10:23 local time, sent reverberations from Pennsylvania to Connecticut, leaving a trail of rattled nerves and cracked infrastructure in its wake.
Residents across the affected region described the unsettling experience vividly. Reports flooded in of homes shaken by violent rumblings, walls damaged, and objects hurled from shelves. In New York City, a metropolis often seen as impervious to such natural phenomena, even iconic landmarks like the Statue of Liberty swayed in the quake’s grip. From the Bronx to Brooklyn, citizens recounted moments of confusion and fear as their surroundings trembled and vibrated.
Jane Coxwell, a Manhattan resident, likened the sensation to the rumbling of passing subway trains, a familiar occurrence in the city. “Living in New York, I have become accustomed to rattling from the subway. That’s what I thought it was,” she remarked. “Then I realized I was on the ninth floor. It was a bit unsteady for sure. It felt like a passing train.”
Others shared similar experiences, describing the quake as a tumultuous drumbeat or a violent rumble lasting several seconds. One resident, recounting the event, said, “I was laying in my bed, and my whole apartment building started shaking. I started freaking out.”
Even the United Nations Security Council session on Gaza was briefly interrupted as participants questioned the source of the sudden disturbance.
Aircraft at major airports like JFK in New York and Newark in New Jersey were grounded temporarily as authorities conducted safety inspections of runways. Despite the initial panic, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul reassured residents that no major damage or injuries had been reported. However, she cautioned that aftershocks were possible but not expected to cause significant harm.
In nearby New Jersey, residents felt the impact more directly. David Scibione of Union, New Jersey, recounted how his home shook violently, causing items to fall from the roof and roads to split open. Similarly, Allison Martins, capturing the quake’s intensity on TikTok, expressed shock at the rare occurrence in the area, highlighting the general sense of fear and uncertainty among residents.
While earthquakes are infrequent on the East Coast, they are not unprecedented. Historically, the region has experienced notable tremors, including a 5.1 magnitude quake in upstate New York in 1983 and a 5.0 magnitude event in New York City in 1884. The most memorable recent event occurred in 2011, when a 5.8 quake centered in Virginia prompted widespread evacuations across major cities like New York and Washington, DC.
Jessica Jobe of the US Geological Survey speculated that Friday’s quake may have occurred along an old fault line that had been “reactivated,” emphasizing the unpredictable nature of seismic activity. Despite this, she assured the public that the likelihood of a significant aftershock in the coming week was low.
As the affected communities begin to assess the aftermath of this rare seismic event, attention turns to ensuring the resilience of infrastructure and preparedness for future occurrences. The quake serves as a stark reminder that even in regions not traditionally associated with seismic activity, the earth’s movements can still make their presence felt.
