A rare 1.7 magnitude earthquake struck parts of New York City early on Tuesday morning, prompting a swift response from emergency services who initially believed it to be an explosion. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) later confirmed the event was a minor seismic tremor.
The FDNY received reports of buildings shaking and a loud bang at around 5:45am near 580 Main Street on Roosevelt Island. Initial assessments suggested a possible transformer explosion, leading to a deployment of fire and police crews to the scene.
However, an investigation by Con Edison, the FDNY and the NYPD found no damage, outages or explosions linked to any equipment, according to local reports. The USGS instead attributed the sounds and movement to a small earthquake centred in Astoria, Queens, with a depth of 3.1 miles (5km).
The tremor was felt by residents in Queens, Roosevelt Island, the Upper East Side and Long Island City. Due to the rarity of earthquakes in New York City, both residents and first responders had assumed the shaking was caused by an explosion.
New York City Emergency Management confirmed on social media that no injuries, traffic or transit disruptions, or structural stability issues were reported. The false alarm prompted road closures and delays while the investigation was carried out, but no life safety concerns were identified.
