New Jersey earthquake epicenter: Residents near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, react to earthquake, but report no major damage
LEBANON, New Jersey (WABC) — Surveillance video in Lebanon, New Jersey, captured the terrifying moments on the ground as everything above it began to shake.
“I thought the train had derailed,” Matt Milacki said. “It was intense… Quite an experience.”
The U.S. Geological Survey said more than 42 million people may have felt the mid-morning earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, centered near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, or about 45 miles west of the New York City.
Pictures and decorative plates fell from the wall at Christiann Thompson’s home in Whitehouse Station, she said, telling her what her husband had told her over the phone while she was volunteering at a library.
“The dogs lost their minds, became very terrified and ran,” he said.
Adam Mueller, mayor of Readingtown, says the only major structural damage in the township was to Taylors Mill, a historic site that played an important role in the American Revolution.
“Part of the top collapsed,” he said.
Efforts are underway to restore the site. The project is now expected to be delayed due to the damage.
Across Hunterdon County, fire and rescue have been inundated with calls about gas leaks. Officials say they are now also starting to receive reports of damage to homes.
“We activated our emergency support agencies to coordinate information and resource needs at the local level,” said Brayden Fahey, Hunterdon County OEM Director.
“Our resources are tied up. Don’t call 911 unless it’s a true emergency,” Mueller said.
Earthquakes are less common on the eastern than western edges of the United States because the East Coast does not sit on a tectonic plate boundary. The largest earthquakes in the east typically occur along the Atlantic Ridge, which extends across Iceland and the Atlantic Ocean.
Earthquakes on the East Coast can still have a big impact, as its rocks are better than their western counterparts at propagating seismic energy over long distances.
Earthquakes with magnitudes near or greater than 5 occurred near New York City in 1737, 1783 and 1884, the USGS said. And memories of Friday stirred memories of the Aug. 23, 2011, earthquake that shook tens of millions of people from Georgia to Canada. Centered in Virginia, the magnitude 5.8 quake was the strongest earthquake to hit the East Coast since World War II.
Some information from The Associated Press
Chief Meteorologist Lee Goldberg will cover the eclipse from Syracuse, New York, while Meteorologist Brittany Bell will report from Niagara Falls.
Additionally, we invite you to watch ABC News and National Geographic’s “Eclipse Across America” live on April 8 from 2 pm to 4 pm EDT on ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+ and Hulu .
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