BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A magnitude 4.8 earthquake centered 35 miles east of Bethlehem shook the Lehigh Valley and the Mid-Atlantic region Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
Social media exploded as shaking was felt through the area, with reports south through Philadelphia and northeast through New York.
Over a dozen aftershocks were reported in the ensuing hours in the region, including a 4.0-magnitude quake early Friday evening, according to the USGS.
There were no initial reports of damage or injuries throughout the day.
The quake occurred at 10:23 a.m. and had a depth of four kilometers, the USGS reported. It was centered near Lebanon, Hunterdon County — about a 35-minute drive from Bethlehem.
A dispatcher at the Lehigh County Communications Center said several calls came in.
“We got quite a few,” he said. “People were feeling shaking.”
On X, formerly Twitter, local residents reported entire homes rattling, desks shaking and more.
"Felt up here in Bangor, Pa," one resident said.
"Scared me," another said.
Daniella Gomez, a Lehigh University sophomore, said she was in her sorority house in Bethlehem when her TV started shaking.
"I thought it was just someone upstairs making a lot of noise," she said.
But when the shaking continued, she realized she was feeling an earthquake for the first time. She was grateful there didn't appear to be any damage.
"It was definitely a weird experience. I definitely wouldn't want to do that again," she said.
Just down the hill, business continued as normal at Historic Hotel Bethlehem on Main Street.
Director of Engineering Ferrald Lee froze for a moment in the boiler room when the ground started moving. But he was confident the historic structure escaped unharmed.
"It's actually happened before, a few years back," he said.
City halls, schools empty
Just after the quake, reports came in that Bethlehem City Hall was briefly evacuated, as were government buildings across the area.
Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said they it was felt significantly at City Hall in Easton, but there was no order to evacuate.
In Allentown, Mayor Matt Tuerk confirmed that City Hall was evacuated when they felt the shaking at 10:25 a.m. After determining there was no structural damage to the building, employees were told they could return.
The public works team was checking on things and taking calls from anyone with damage, Tuerk said, noting residents flagging unsafe structures could call public works directly at 610-437-7587.
"I totally understand how alarming it can be to feel the effects of an earthquake. The city team quickly acted to ensure safety and security for the City of Allentown," Tuerk said.
"I spoke with our fire chief, Efrain Agosto, he's our emergency management coordinator. He's collaborating with the county of Lehigh. We want to make sure that everybody knows the city is on top of it and if they observe any unsafe structural conditions they should call our department of public works."
In the Allentown School District, buildings were evacuated shortly after the rumbling.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we are temporarily evacuating schools,” said district spokeswoman Melissa Reese. She said there are no plans for early dismissals and no reports of injuries.
“We’re checking the perimeters of the buildings before going back in,” she said.
At Allentown Art Museum, where shaking wall-hangings could be a serious issue, lead receptionist Sean O’Leary said there were no ill effects from the quake.
No exhibitions, galleries or paintings were damaged, and the quake didn’t even trigger alarms that are rigged to go off if items move, O’Leary said.
He said he museum’s artifacts are well-secured.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said on X his team and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management headquarters were monitoring the situation and in contact with counties on any damage.
"We will keep Pennsylvanians updated," Shapiro said.
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit New Jersey and was felt in parts of Pennsylvania.
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) April 5, 2024
My team and @PEMAHQ are actively monitoring the situation and in contact with counties on any damage. We will keep Pennsylvanians updated.
Robo calls went out to residents just after 11 a.m. confirming the quake. Additional calls went out around 11:38 a.m. asking residents not to call 911 unless there were significant damage or injuries at their location.
Staff writer Jason Addy contributed to this report.
