Shock: Rare earthquake shakes up New York City, tri-state area

A rare earthquake rocked the New York City area Friday morning, rippling all the way north to Connecticut and south to New Jersey, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake, which was measured on the Richter Scale at 4.8-magnitude struck the metropolitan area at about 10:23 a.m. The effects were felt as far west as Delaware, far north as New Paltz, New York and as south as Lebanon, New Jersey.

Some area residents and workers told the New York Post that they felt tremors while waking up.

Kelly Shone, a mother of two who works nights in Newark, Del, said she felt a “slight rumbling” while in bed Friday morning.

“I thought it was my husband walking heavily downstairs at first,” Shone told The Post.

It is still unclear how much damage was caused by the earthquake and if there were any casualties.

Mayor Eric Adams was reportedly updated after the quake, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state is assessing any potential harm to the area.

“My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day,” she said.

The Empire State Building’s official X account mused, “I AM FINE” assuring the public that, “We are business as usual at the Empire State Building.”

Mayor Adams retweeted NotifyNYC, which posted at 10:57 that there was so far no reports of serious damage or injury.

“USGS reports a 4.7 magnitude [now updated to 4.8 at USGS] earthquake in NYC. No reports of damage/injuries in NYC,” it reported.

This is a developing story.