New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had an interesting way of referring to the epicenter of Friday’s earthquake near Lebanon, New Jersey, which was felt in Pennsylvania, New York, and even as far as Maine.
“A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York,” she said on X. “My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.”
The “west of Manhattan” reference to New Jersey was not lost on social media users.
"West of Manhattan" is a very New York way to refer to New Jersey. https://t.co/Jwnhkt9LdA
— Philip Bump (@pbump) April 5, 2024
can NJ impeach NY’s governor https://t.co/i9Ywczdpzz
— Terrence T. McDonald (@terrencemcd) April 5, 2024
“West of Manhattan?” All of America is… west of Manhattan. https://t.co/5EHVrWYotL pic.twitter.com/qnLPYNZhMS
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) April 5, 2024
New Jersey has a name, Kathy. https://t.co/3htIkVdYD4
— Anthony Michael Kreis (@AnthonyMKreis) April 5, 2024
It’s called New Jersey. It’s ok to say the name.
— George Daniel (@GeorgeJDaniel) April 5, 2024
While the earthquake was the strongest since 1884 in the area, the intensity was considered “light,” and it was over after about 30 seconds. A brief M4 aftershock was felt around 6 p.m. here in New Jersey, which could continue in the days and weeks ahead, according to USGS. It looks like Hochul got the message this time around.
A 4.0 magnitude aftershock from this morning’s earthquake in New Jersey just occurred.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 5, 2024
We are continuing to review critical infrastructure and there are no reports of significant damage at this time.
