Earthquake shakes New York City area with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, officials say

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The sun rises over a hazy New York City skyline Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

An earthquake shook the densely populated New York City metropolitan area Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said, with residents reporting they felt rumbling across the Eastern Seaboard.

The agency reported a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, centered near Lebanon, New Jersey. The Fire Department of New York said there were no initial reports of damage.

In midtown Manhattan, the usual cacophony of traffic grew louder as motorists blared their horns on momentarily shuddering streets. Some Brooklyn residents heard a booming sound and their building shaking. In an apartment house in Manhattan’s East Village, a resident from more earthquake-prone California calmed nervous neighbors.

People in Baltimore, Philadelphia and other areas also reported feeling the ground shake.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul posted on X that her team was assessing impacts and any possible damage.

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