New York, New Jersey experience earthquake aftershocks

Multiple aftershocks shook the New York and New Jersey area following a 4.8 magnitude earthquake Friday morning, according to officials.

“New Jersey just experienced an aftershock,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Friday evening around 6 p.m. “Please follow the emergency guidance below and avoid calling 911 unless you have an actual emergency.”

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported Friday evening that a New Jersey aftershock with a 4.0 magnitude happened at 5:59 p.m., with its epicenter a little over four miles southwest of Gladstone.

The sizeable evening aftershock followed smaller aftershocks that occurred earlier in the day.

“Following this morning’s 4.8 magnitude earthquake, 3 much smaller aftershocks hit our region: 1.8 magnitude at 12:31pm, 2.0 magnitude at 1:14pm, and 2.0 magnitude a few minutes ago,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said in an X post earlier Friday afternoon.

“Aftershocks of these sizes are normal and are not expected to cause further damage,” Hochul continued.

The 4.8 morning quake was felt as far as Philadelphia and Boston and both Newark Liberty International and John F. Kennedy International Airports issued ground stops in its wake.

Earthquakes are unusual on the East Coast of the U.S. and are more common in the western part of the country due to its proximity to tectonic plates, whose movement often causes shaking in places like California and Washington state.

New York City Emergency Management said in a post on X following the Friday evening aftershock that it had “no major damage reports coming in.”

“Please call 911 for life safety issues & 311 for non-emergencies,” the agency said in its post. “Check in on your family & friends, esp. those who are vulnerable & have accessibility & functionality issues.”

Updated at 6:50 p.m. EST.