FILE VIDEO: A video shot early Wednesday morning captured the moment a meteor streaked across the sky and appeared to explode over Puerto Rico. (Courtesy: Frankie Lucena via Storyful)
NEW YORK – Did the NYC area experience an earthquake? People throughout New Jersey and New York reported shaking Tuesday morning, and in a surprising turn of events, NASA reported that a meteor could have disintegrated above Midtown Manhattan around the same time.
This, however, doesn’t confirm that the meteor caused the shaking and a loud “boom,” which was also reported by some. NASA also noted reports of fireball sightings.
What we know about the supposed meteor
Based on data from the American Meteor Society, Bill Cooke, lead for NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office, estimated that a fireball was first sighted between 10 a.m. and noon near the New Jersey-New York border.
“We estimate that the fireball was first sighted at an altitude of 49 miles above Upper Bay (east of Greenville Yard),” Cooke said in a statement to FOX 5 NY. “Moving a bit east of north at 34,000 miles per hour, the meteor descended at a steep angle of 18 degrees from vertical, passing over the Statue of Liberty before disintegrating 29 miles above midtown Manhattan.”
The Pink Moon, illuminated at 99 percent, rises behind the Statue of Liberty as the sun sets in New York City on April 22, 2024, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
This information is still preliminary, and so reporting on the actual trajectory could change. NASA said no meteorites were produced in this event, meaning no rocks from outer space fell over New York City Tuesday.
“There are reports of military in the vicinity around the time of the fireball, which could explain the shaking and sounds reported to the media,” Cooke noted.
‘No evidence of an earthquake’: USGS
In a statement to FOX 5 NY, the U.S. Geological Survey said it received reports of shaking in northern New Jersey and Staten Island and examined seismic data in the area.
“The USGS has no direct evidence of the source of the shaking. Past reports of shaking with no associated seismic signal have had atmospheric origins such as sonic booms or weather-related phenomena,” the statement read.
Eyewitness accounts
Multiple users on social media reported feeling shakes in parts of New Jersey and NYC around 11 a.m. Tuesday morning.
“Did NJ just have another earthquake?? My house was just shaking,” one user wrote on X.
Some reported hearing a loud “boom” sound along with shaking. Other users on X said they felt shakes in their homes and offices. Similar reports were shared on Facebook and Reddit, northjersey.com reported.
Another user wrote: “Uhh, earthquake felt in NYC? Just felt shaking over in Southern Queens, can someone confirm? Hearing epicenter may be out of New Jersey.”