A 4.7-magnitude earthquake strikes the New York City area, according to the USGS

The US Geological Survey reports that a 4.7-magnitude earthquake rocked the New York City region early on Friday, startling locals and rattling buildings in an area that doesn’t often see significant seismic activity.

The USGS indicated that the epicenter of the earthquake was close to Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. There was no damage reported right away.

The earthquake was first recorded at a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale by the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre.

Reuters journalists and social media users said that the earthquake was felt throughout the region, including in New York City, New Jersey, northern Pennsylvania, and western Connecticut.

According to 38-year-old Bronx borough resident Charita Walcott, the earthquake 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 stated.

The CEO of Save the Children unexpectedly stopped talking before the Security Council about the Israel-Gaza war at the United Nations in midtown Manhattan, causing the cameras to tremble.

“You’re causing the earth to tremble,” quips UN representative for Palestine Riyad Mansour.

Due to the earthquake, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) informed airlines that they could anticipate 30- to 45-minute delays with planes being delayed at New York City airports until midday. The flight tracking website FlightAware reports that several aircraft headed for New York were rerouted to different locations.

“Air traffic operations are resuming as quickly as possible,” the Federal Aviation Administration stated.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced that the heavily used Holland Tunnel, one of the three main Hudson River crossings between New York City and New Jersey, will be temporarily closed for inspection.

On social networking site X, the governors of New Jersey and New York announced that they were stepping up emergency responses. After being notified, New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ office stated on X that there had been no initial reports of “major impacts.”

Some locals were reminded of the Virginia 5.8-magnitude earthquake in 2011 that damaged Washington and forced evacuations of parts of New York City, including City Hall, by Friday’s earthquake.