Much of New York City was shaken by an earthquake on Friday that morning that shut down some transit options and forced a brief ground stop for all flights out of the region’s international airports, federal authorities said.
The earthquake’s magnitude was estimated to be 4.8 by the United States Geological Survey, which placed its epicenter as being in Lebanon, New Jersey, about 50 miles away Manhattan. The tremor began at 10:23 a.m., with residents as far south as Philadelphia and as far north as Long Island reporting they felt violent shaking.
There were no immediate reports of major damage, but the city’s major international airports, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty, were issued a ground stop by the Federal Aviation Administration in the quake’s wake.
JFK’s ground stop was ended around 11:30 a.m., but the order was extended until 12:30 p.m. at Newark Liberty.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote to X that she “was assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred,” adding that officials will provide updates throughout the day.
The Port Authority Transit Corporation, which operates transit between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, said it was indefinitely suspending service after the quake.
“Crews will inspect the integrity of the line out of an abundance of caution,” it wrote in an update on X. “Once inspection is complete, service will resume. No timeframe. Updates to follow.”
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the city’s subway, buses, and some ferries in the city, said there was no impact on its service. It said it was still sending teams to investigate train lines.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy wrote on X that the state had activated its emergency operations center but urged the public not to call 911 unless they were experiencing an emergency.
The shaking is sure to bring back memories of a 2011 earthquake that rattled much of the East Coast, impacting tens of millions between Georgia and Canada. That quake, the strongest since World War II, registered a magnitude of 5.8 at its epicenter in Virginia—sending the White House into an evacuation and cracking the Washington Monument.
In an interview with MSNBC, the mayor of Lebanon called the earthquake “the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced,” adding that it caused his dog to run for cover and pushed objects off his shelves. He said the city did not suffer any significant damage but was certainly rattled by the incident.
The post 4.8-Magnitude Earthquake Rattles New York City, Triggers Airport Delays appeared first on The Daily Beast.