No damage or injury

(CNN) —The US Geological Survey said the 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck at 10:23 a.m. Miami time. The quake was northeast of Lebanon, New Jersey, and tremors were felt from Philadelphia to New York City, according to reports.

In a region unaccustomed to these types of tremors, stunned residents in large parts of the Northeast said they first thought it was a tractor-trailer or a passing freight train. Officials reported minor damage and minimal travel disruption, and people soon resumed their normal lives.

“At first I thought it was a big truck driving down the road nearby or shaking an oil burner inside my house,” said Jean Evola, who shook her home in Franklin Square, Long Island.

He ran away when the vibration intensified. He saw his neighbors describe the same noise and realized they had experienced an earthquake in a suburb 20 miles east of New York City.

The New York Police Department reported no damage or injuries.

New York Mayor Eric Adams told a news conference later Friday that “New Yorkers should go about their day as normal.”

Aftershocks are unlikely, New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zachary Iscol said.

The USGS said the quake struck at 10:23 a.m. The New York City Fire Department said buildings shook at 10:30 a.m. local time.

“We are responding to calls and evaluating structural stability,” the department said in a statement. “There are no major incidents at this time.”

In parts of the New York City area, shocked residents rushed out of their homes and spilled onto the sidewalks in front of their buildings within minutes of the tremors stopping.

“Everything started shaking and then I felt the building shaking,” said David Rodriguez, who lives in Hoboken, New Jersey. “I thought it was a big truck outside until everything started shaking. But it's the sound of something rocking back and forth.”

X's account of the Empire State Building: “I'm fine.”

Long after the quake subsided, residents were shocked again by hearing loud emergency alerts on their mobile phones. Another warning came at 11:46 a.m., warning of possible aftershocks.

New York Governor Cathy Hochul told reporters, “New Yorkers are not used to tremors in the state. Everyone should continue to take this very seriously.”

“A Good Quality New York Moment”

According to the USGS, more than 23 million people felt a “mild tremor,” which is noticeable to most people and can make cars shake noticeably and feel like a truck crashing into a building.

About 9,000 people felt a “strong tremor,” which the USGS described as “felt by all,” and which could move heavy furniture and cause minor damage. It occurred near the epicenter near Lebanon, New Jersey. About 300,000 people felt a “moderate tremor,” strong enough to break windows or knock over dishes.

Reid Whitmont, a resident of Park Slope, Brooklyn, was sitting on his bed inside an old apartment building when everything started to shake. Then the cat ran away.

“It lasted a minute, and then I put my head out the window and all the neighbors were screaming and asking if everyone felt the same way. A classic New York moment.”

Christina Fiore was sitting at her desk in her apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey, when her building shook for a few seconds.

In a video from inside the house, objects vibrate when a cat runs around. “It's okay. It's just an earthquake!” Fiore is heard saying. At first Fiore thought it was an explosion at a nearby metal recycling plant, but the shaking got stronger. “I said out loud, 'It's an earthquake,' because I could tell my 5-year-old son was worried about what was going on. And, my cats were really scared. They were scared and confused for about an hour after the earthquake. Beat.”

Video shared on social media shows customers running out of the Boonton Coffee Co store in Boonton, New Jersey in confusion as the building begins to shake. You can hear some panicking. Others continued to order from the barista.

Based on preliminary USGS data indications, minor tremors are unlikely to have caused damage. Initial reports indicated a 4.8-magnitude quake, but it was downgraded to 4.7 before being downgraded to 4.8. This may change again as additional data is reviewed.

Earthquake in New Jersey. The epicenter was northeast of Lebanon, New Jersey, about 80 kilometers west of New York City, according to the USGS.

The mild earthquake was just below the surface at a depth of 5 kilometers and the tremors were felt by the residents of the affected areas. Initial reports indicated that the quake was widely felt in New York, Philadelphia and Washington.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, flights to New York's Kennedy, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Newark airports have been grounded.

The air traffic control tower at Newark Liberty Airport was being evacuated, a controller said in a radio broadcast after the quake, meaning flights were grounded while controllers were moved to an alternate location.

“Nobody's going anywhere anytime soon,” said one RF controller.

The runways were under investigation for damage.

At noon, the FAA said the ground stop was still in effect at Newark and that controllers were heading back to the tower.

Amtrak reported slow train service due to the earthquake.

“As of 11:05 a.m. ET, due to the 4.8 earthquake in New Jersey, Amtrak has initiated its route inspection protocol. Speed ​​restrictions are in effect throughout the Northeast until all inspections are complete,” Amtrak posted on social media.

NJ Transit said system-wide service delays of up to 20 minutes in both directions were due to bridge inspections after the earthquake.

CNN's Paul B. Murphy, Greg Wallace, Pete Mundeen and John Miller contributed to this story.

This is a developing story and will be updated.