05-04-2025
Where were you the day the April 5, 2024 earthquake shook the Lower Hudson Valley?
Where were you during the earthquake of April 5, 2024? Were you driving on the Hutch, or racing over to Indian Rock to see if the rumors it had split (even more) were true?
Take a look back with us as we explore memories of the day that rattled Westchester, Rockland and Putnam — literally.
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake hit the New York City area the morning of April 5, 2024, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The epicenter of the quake was just north of Lebanon, New Jersey, and had a depth of 6.2 miles. An hour later, an aftershock measuring at a magnitude of 2.0 occurred in the area of Bedminster, NJ.
'Understandably, this is an unnerving experience, but Westchester County appears to have no ongoing emergencies due to the earthquake," George Latimer, then Westchester County Executive, said after the quake. "While the earthquake was prolonged and noticeable, it is not dissimilar to what we have experienced in the past with other earthquakes."
Indian Rock, a massive glacial rock formation, sits in a fenced-off area in the parking lot of Indian Rock Plaza on Route 59 and Hemion Road in Rockland County.
While Indian Rock has always had a crack through its middle, rumors circulated online that the April 5, 2024 earthquake actually made the split worse. Even law enforcement was prompted to do an investigation after receiving phone calls. Ramapo police reviewed past and current photos and other documents and ceased their investigation.
"There's no more damage of the rock," Det. Lt. Chris Franklin said that day.
After the initial quake on April 5, 2024, a cascade of aftershocks shook areas of New York from the Lower Hudson Valley to Long Island, starting with a 4.0-magnitude aftershock 37 miles west of New York City in New Jersey.
New York City's emergency notification system alerted residents to the aftershock minutes later, urging people to remain indoors and call 911 if injured.
There were 22 aftershocks reported from 11:20 a.m. April 5, 2024 through 1:07 a.m. the next day.
Contributing: Lohud's Alexandra Rivera, Nancy Cutler
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: April 2024 Lower Hudson Valley NY earthquake: Where were you?
