New York & New Jersey hit by earthquake with magnitude of 4.8 on Richter scale

A earthquake rattled the densely populated New York City metropolitan area on Friday morning (April 5), according to the US Geological Survey. Residents across the northeast reported feeling the tremors. The agency recorded a preliminary magnitude of 4.7 for the quake, which was centred near Lebanon, New Jersey - approximately 45 miles west of New York City and 50 miles north of Philadelphia.

The Fire Department of New York stated that there were no immediate reports of damage. In midtown Manhattan, traffic noise heightened as drivers honked horns on momentarily shaking streets. Some residents in Brooklyn heard a loud boom and felt their buildings tremble.

In Manhattan's East Village, a resident from earthquake-prone California reassured nervous neighbours. People in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Connecticut, and other East Coast areas unfamiliar to earthquakes also reported feeling the ground shake.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirmed that the quake was felt throughout the state, pledging to assess any impacts or damages and provide updates throughout the day.

The event stirred memories of the August 23, 2011 earthquake, which affected millions of people from Georgia to Canada with a magnitude of 5.8 - the strongest quake on the East Coast since World War II. Its epicentre was in Virginia, causing cracks in the Washington Monument, evacuations of the White House and Capitol, and unsettling New Yorkers just weeks before the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.