Yes, New Jersey, that was an earthquake! NJ inspecting bridges after East Coast rocked

You're not going nuts — you just felt an earthquake, and it wasn't minor.

Flights were briefly grounded at Newark International and JFK airports and NJ Transit rail service was delayed as inspectors checked bridges and tunnels for structural damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed an earthquake measuring at 4.8 on the Richter scale in New Jersey. That would make it one of the most powerful earthquakes ever centered in New Jersey.

According to USGS, it was centered in Tewksbury, Hunterdon County. But it was felt by residents across the Garden State and beyond.

The quake was felt in New York City, Philadelphia and other parts of the East Coast. Officials in New York and Pennsylvania said no significant damage has been reported as of noon.

SEE ALSO: Earthquake in NJ: Prepare for aftershocks, governor tells state

People reported feeling the ground or the walls of their buildings shake, which was accompanied by a booming or rattling noise.

"It was like a sonic boom. It felt like it was right underneath my feat, that's how traumatic it was," one New Jersey 101.5 listener in Parsippany said in a phone call.

New Jersey inspecting bridges

While no significant damage has been reported, state officials felt that the earthquake was powerful enough to merit inspections of bridges. The inspections resulted in delays of up to 20 minutes on NJ Transit lines.

Gov. Phil Murphy said the state activated its Emergency Operations Center but asked residents to not call 911 unless they have a true emergency.

Should people worry about their homes?

Murphy, who was attending a conference out of state at the time of the quake, said state officials met with counterparts in New York and Pennsylvania.

"We're not hearing — and we've got all lines of communication wide open — we're not hearing of anything significant," Murphy said on News 12 New Jersey when asked about what people should do to check on the homes after the quake.

"People should use their common sense and eyeball inspection. If they have any concern whatsoever, they should err on the side of caution and take it from there.

Below is an interactive map of folks who said they felt the quake Friday morning, as of around 11 a.m.

New Jersey gets earthquakes

Just last month, a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded in the same area of Hunterdon County.

A dozen earthquakes in New Jersey have been recorded since 1979. Among the biggest were a 3.1 near Freehold in 2020 and a 2.5 in 2015.

The largest recorded earthquake felt in New Jersey was a magnitude 5.3 in 1783, which was felt as far away as New Hampshire.

New Jersey has a fault line that runs through the northwestern part of New Jersey. The fault line is where the Earth's plates meet underground. When they move, they produce an earthquake.

The Ramapo fault line runs 185 miles from Pennsylvania through New Jersey and into New York.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom