In Brooklyn, buildings shook, causing cupboard doors and fixtures to rattle, according to an AFP reporter.
At the United Nations headquarters in New York, a Security Council meeting discussing the situation in Gaza was momentarily interrupted due to the quake.
“Was that an earthquake?” questioned Janti Soeripto, a Save the Children representative, who was speaking at the time. A diplomat humorously remarked, “One for the history books.”
Shortly afterward, many diplomats’ phones buzzed with emergency alerts confirming the earthquake and advising residents to stay indoors and call 911 if injured.
Airports in the region, including New York’s La Guardia, Philadelphia, and Newark in New Jersey, experienced disruptions, although the Federal Aviation Administration assured that air operations were resuming as quickly as possible.
Social media users reported feeling the tremors from Philadelphia to New York and eastward along Long Island.
Some users posted images of toppled furniture with captions like “We will rebuild.”
“The Atlantic Coast is not immune to earthquakes, despite being a ‘passive-aggressive margin,’ as there is no active plate boundary between the Atlantic and North American plates,” noted the US Geological Survey.
US President Joe Biden was briefed on the earthquake event, confirmed his spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre, who added, “The White House is coordinating with local, state, and federal authorities as we gather more information.”
