A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit northern New Jersey and shook New York City around 10:20 a.m. today, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Tremors were reportedly felt in the majority of the Tri-State area, as far as Boston and Baltimore. Its epicenter was 2 miles from Tewskbury, New Jersey, nearly 50 miles west of New York City.
The earthquake shook subway cars, apartment refrigerators, and classrooms, an unfamiliar feeling for many New Yorkers who may not be used to the seismic activity.
Earthquakes are a rare occurrence on the East Coast. The last time the eastern U.S. experienced a large earthquake was in 2011 when a 5.8 magnitude quake occurred outside of Washington, D.C. It was the strongest earthquake on the East Coast in more than 50 years.
However, New York City, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania sit on a large fault zone called the Ramapo Fault, and tremors on the East Coast are more likely to be felt across a wider area, according to the USGS tectonic summary.
The shaking came as a surprise to many students. “I was shocked,” Parsons School of Design first-year Cindy Wong said. “My brain couldn’t process it.”
Wong said she thought the floor was shaking from construction at first, “all my classmates started talking about it, then I realized the rumbling was an earthquake.”
Sophia Rocco, a first year BAFA student studying fashion design and film Studies also echoed this sentiment. “It’s not like I knew to expect anything,” she said.
According to an email from Campus Safety, The New School’s Facilities team has conducted building inspections across campus and confirmed that all university buildings are safe.
There have been no initial reports of damage or injury in New York, according to the NYC Fire Department. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been briefed on the earthquake, and Governor Kathy Hochul’s team is “assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred,” according to a tweet from the New York Governor.
“It’s just weird and I guess pretty rare, but not impossible apparently,” Rocco said.
While no significant aftershocks have been reported, the USGS forecasts a 46% chance that a magnitude 3 or below aftershock could rock the Tri-State area within the next week.