A magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook the East Coast of the United States early Friday, raising alarm and causing buildings to shake from Maryland to Maine, including major cities such as New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Connecticut. The epicenter of the earthquake was located near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, around 10:30 a.m., according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
This seismic activity is not common in the northeast of the country, highlighting that it is the strongest earthquake in this region since the one recorded in Buffalo, New York, of magnitude 3.8 (3.8) in February 2023, the most intense in 40 years .
In immediate response, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said her team was assessing impacts and possible damage, promising updates throughout the day. “My team is assessing the impacts and any damage that may have occurred,” she said in X.
For his part, the deputy mayor of New York, Fabien Levy, pointed out that no major impacts were reported in the city. On the New Jersey side, Governor Phil Murphy activated the state’s emergency operations center, urging the population to use the 911 emergency line only for critical situations.
The PATCO Port Transportation Authority, which operates a rapid transit route between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, suspended its services to conduct infrastructure safety inspections, without specifying a time frame for resuming service. Similarly, although the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reported no direct impacts to its service, teams are being deployed for detailed inspections of rail lines.
Meanwhile, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, and Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport held ground stops while runways were inspected for damage. The energy company Con Edison reported that there were no reports of outages or damage attributable to the earthquake.
Despite the initial scare and the mobilization of emergency services and evaluation of critical infrastructure, no immediate injuries were reported. The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and the New York mayor’s office confirmed the absence of initial reports of significant damage, although impact assessments continue.
This event highlighted the importance of rapid earthquake preparation and response in areas not traditionally associated with high seismic activity. Friday’s earthquake serves as a reminder of the unpredictability of these natural disasters and the need to maintain up-to-date and effective emergency protocols.
Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams was briefed on the quake, indicating that the impacts were still being assessed. This tremor joins others that, although rare in the Northeast, have been felt in previous years, such as those that occurred last year and the notable 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Virginia in 2011, which even affected Manhattan. The most significant incident recorded in the city occurred in 1884, under Coney Island, with a magnitude of 5.2, as reported by the New York Times.
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