“Shaking Across The Commonwealth,” MEMA Reports

East Coast Quake Centered In New Jersey

APRIL 5, 2024…..An earthquake Friday morning centered in New Jersey was felt by people in Massachusetts and along the East Coast, including New York City.

The National Weather Service’s Boston office reported at 10:30 a.m. on X that it had received “several reports of an earthquake felt here in southern New England” at around 10:25 a.m.

The weather service said that preliminary reports from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) indicated that a magnitude 4.8 earthquake was recorded in north central New Jersey.

USGS later added on its X account: “Earthquakes are uncommon but not unheard of along the Atlantic Coast, a zone one study called a ‘passive-aggressive margin’ b/c there’s no active plate boundary between the Atlantic & N. American plates, but there are stresses.”

The News Service reached out to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, which includes the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

At 11:22 a.m., MEMA reported on X that it had “received multiple reports of shaking across the Commonwealth. Our Local Coordinators are making outreach to communities to receive damage reports/requests for assistance. In an earthquake: drop, cover, hold on.”

MEMA told the News Service that it had not received any reports of damage or injuries.

Gov. Maura Healey was scheduled to speak at an 11 a.m. inauguration ceremony for UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco at the Clark Athletic Center on the UMass Boston campus.