An earthquake shook the densely populated New York City metropolitan area Friday morning, the US Geological Survey said, with rumbling felt across the whole of the Eastern Seaboard by residents.
The agency reported a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, centred near Lebanon, New Jersey. Shaking was felt as far away as Boston and Delaware.
The Fire Department of New York said there were no initial reports of damage.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted: “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.”
A ground stop was ordered at JFK, Newark, and Baltimore airports.
The New York City mayor’s office messaged residents with information about what to do in an aftershock but many were mystified by an emergency alert coming through on cell phones thirty minutes after the ground stopped shaking.