Earthquake hits New York City and New Jersey late Saturday as residents report buildings shaking

Residents in New York and New Jersey were shaken late Saturday night by a minor earthquake.

According to the United States Geological Survey, a magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck at 10:18 p.m., with its epicenter in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, just north of Newark.

The quake took place six miles below the ground, and around 13 miles from Midtown Manhattan. As well as New Jersey, tremors have been reported across all five boroughs of the city, according to a USGS map.

New York City Emergency Management acknowledged the quake in a post on X.

“A magnitude 3.0 earthquake is reported to have occurred in or near New Jersey. Tremors may have been felt in parts of New York City. NYC Emergency Management is monitoring for impacts and coordinating with agency partners,” the agency wrote.

The agency noted that no follow up was needed by residents unless they saw the quake cause damage.

“Be prepared for possible aftershocks. These may follow minutes, hours, or even days after the initial quake. No immediate protective action is needed unless you experienced damage,” the agency said. “If you felt shaking, check for hazards such as shifted items, falling debris, or cracks.”

No injuries or reports of serious damage have come out of either New York or New Jersey at the time of this report.

Magnitude 3.0 earthquakes are fairly minor, but it’s unusual for New Jersey or New York to have quakes strong for residents to notice. Last year, New Yorkers felt a 4.8 magnitude quake across the city which struck near Lebanon, New Jersey.

Many took to social media to express confusion over the event.

“I thought my downstairs neighbor was banging something around lol, didn’t even think earthquake,” one X user wrote.

Another user wrote that they thought a truck was passing by their building.

“So can we agree that none of us felt an earthquake in nyc,” a third added.

Harlem resident Bradford Billingsley wouldn’t agree. He told the New York Times his coffee table rattled while he was spending time with a friend.

“We both felt a sudden jolt and looked at each other and said, ‘was that an earthquake?’” he said.

Mayor Eric Adams reposted the city’s Emergency Management post, but didn’t offer further comment on the quake.

Earlier in the week an 8.8 magnitude quake hit off the eastern coast of Russia, triggering tsunami warnings in California, Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, Canada, and Russia.