What you should know
- Firefighters responded to reports of small explosions on Roosevelt Island and later declared the scene under control with no clear cause.
- Residents in both Manhattan and Queens called to report what they said looked like small explosions coming from Main Street, south of the Roosevelt Island Tram, shortly before 6 a.m. Tuesday.
- The situation was resolved in approximately one hour. The FDNY team said the cause of the loud bangs could not be determined.
NEW YORK — Firefighters responded to reports of small explosions on Roosevelt Island and later declared the scene under control with no clear cause.
But now the mystery could be solved thanks to the United States Geological Survey (or USGS for its acronym in English).
The USGS reports that a magnitude 1.7 earthquake occurred at 5:45 a.m. Tuesday near Astoria, Queens.
Residents in both Manhattan and Queens called to report what they said looked like small explosions coming from Main Street, south of the Roosevelt Island Tram, shortly before 6 a.m. Tuesday.
The situation was resolved in approximately one hour. The FDNY team said the cause of the loud bangs could not be determined.
911 operators received calls from Roosevelt Island and Astoria, prompting a massive effort involving 60 firefighters and medical personnel before dawn Tuesday, but New York City Police report no found no fire.
“I heard what was like a big bang and then the room shook,” a Roosevelt Island resident told NBC New York.
No injuries were immediately reported and no rescues were necessary.
The FDNY declared the scene “unfounded” and turned it over to Con Edison after declaring it safe. Con Ed reported that there were no power outages on Roosevelt Island at the time and he had emergency crews on site investigating.
Local officials have not confirmed that the earthquake in Queens was actually the cause of the reported tremors and explosions.
During a news conference, Mayor Eric Adams’ chief of staff said the mayor’s office was waiting to get more information after the USGS announced that an earthquake occurred.
Adams said he did not feel the earthquake.
2024-01-02 20:57:13
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