A 4.7-magnitude earthquake has struck the New York City region, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), shaking buildings and surprising residents in an area that rarely experiences notable seismic activity.
The quake’s epicenter was near Whitehouse Station in New Jersey, the USGS said.
No damage was immediately reported.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre initially measured the quake at 5.5 magnitude on the Richter scale.
The earthquake was felt across the region, including in New York City, New Jersey, northern Pennsylvania and western Connecticut, according to Reuters journalists and social media.
At the United Nations, which has its headquarters in New York, a Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza was temporarily paused after the tremor.
“Is that an earthquake?” said Save the Children representative Janti Soeripto who was speaking at the time.
Social media users reported feeling the earthquake from Philadelphia up to New York and eastward along Long Island.
The iconic Empire State Building reported on its X account: “I AM FINE.”
I AM FINE
— Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) April 5, 2024
Charita Walcott, a 38-year-old resident in the Bronx borough of New York, said the quake felt “like a violent rumble that lasted about 30 seconds or so”.
“It was kind of like being in a drum circle, that vibration,” she said.
