New York rocked by aftershock hours after 4.8-magnitude earthquake shook city

05 April 2024 , 22:13

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Fears of another earthquake after the 4.8-magnitude quake that hit New Jersey and New York on Friday are circulating the internet as several people reported feeling more tremours (Image: Getty Images)

Residents of New York City reported feeling aftershocks from the earthquake that rocked the metropolitan area on Friday morning.

Hundreds flocked to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their surprise at the second wave of tremours. "Was that another earthquake?" several Twitter users asked just before 6pm EDT.

The United States Geological Survey confirmed that an aftershock "of a preliminary magnitude" struck just southwest of Gladstone, New Jersey. The aftershock was recorded as a 4.0 on the Richter scale.

Officials have continued to warn that there may be further aftershocks. Today, there have already been an additional 10 aftershocks, though most were between 1.8 to 2.2, so they weren't felt by most. The biggest aftershock happened eight hours after the original quake.

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New York just shook again as a 4.0 tremor hit (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Kishor S. Jaiswal, a research structural engineer with the U.S. Geological Survey, told the NYT that residents can expect aftershocks to “continue for several days and even a week."

Centered around Lebanon and Tewksbury, New Jersey, tremors from the earthquake could be felt all the way up in Boston. Philadelphia, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts residents also reported feeling the seismic event, which is a rarity on the East Coast. Around 42 million people may have felt the quake, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

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Centered around Lebanon and Tewksbury, New Jersey, tremors from the earthquake could be felt all the way up in Boston. Philadelphia, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts

The last major seismic event to hit the NYC Metropolitan Area was in 2011, when a 5.8-magnitude tremor rattled buildings across the Northeast, everywhere from Washington, D.C., to Boston. That one was the strongest on the East Coast since one that struck during World War II.

In New York City, the tremors felt like a gently rocking boat making its way across a placid lake or like a gentle carnival ride such as the swings or a Ferris wheel, but those located closer to the epicenter reported feeling much stronger shockwaves.

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The USGS confirmed the event, stating that the 4.8-magnitude seismic event occurred just 3 miles northeast of Lebanon, a small municipality around 50 miles west of New York City. It began at 10:23 a.m. EDT. Thousands of people confirmed the event to the government organization.

Gov. Kathy Hochul was briefed on the situation and wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, "A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York. My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day."

Jeremiah Hassel