Earthquake Hits New York City, New Jersey With 4.8 Magnitude
New York was shaken by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake Friday morning, according to the Associated Press.
The earthquake occurred at 10:23 a.m. ET about eight miles northwest of Bridgewater, N.J., per the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, and rattled skyscrapers and buildings across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
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An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.8 is generally considered moderate, though it appears to be among the biggest earthquakes to ever affect New York City.
In addition to New York and New Jersey, the quake was felt in parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts as well.
New York governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X quickly after the quake, “A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York. My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.”
Cable news immediately jumped onto coverage of the event, with CNN interviewing people who felt the earthquake, as well as Fox News and MSNBC all breaking regular programming for coverage.
The official X/Twitter account of the Empire State Building jokingly posted, “I AM FINE.”
A minor earthquake of 1.7 magnitude hit New York City on Jan. 2 earlier this year. It was measured in Astoria, Queens, around 5:45 a.m. No one was injured.
Celebrities and media figures poured onto X to discuss the rare occasion.
“Sooooo New York City, was that an earthquake or nah?” wrote former “Daily Show” correspondent Roy Wood Jr., while ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon wrote, “Totally just had an #earthquake in New York. Did you feel it?”
Jessica Chastain wrote, “Did we just have an earthquake?! NYC,” while “Girls5Eva” star Busy Philipps wrote, “not to be weird but was there just an earthquake in new york?”
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