Early Tuesday morning, residents on Roosevelt Island called 911 to report shaking and small explosions from the Main Street area. Emergency crews, including 60 fire and medical personnel, rushed to the scene, but found no fire or source of the reports. The situation was declared under control, but the cause of the mystery could not be determined. One resident reported hearing a big boom and seeing the room shake. Additionally, no injuries were reported, and no rescues were needed.
Firefighters have confirmed that the U.S. Geological Survey has reported a 1.7 magnitude earthquake in the Astoria, Queens area at the same time as the reported incident. Residents in both Manhattan and Queens called to report what they said sounded like small explosions just before 6 a.m. Tuesday. The FDNY declared the scene “unfounded” and turned it over to Con Edison after declaring it safe, and Con Edison reported no power outages on Roosevelt Island at the time and had emergency crews on the scene investigating.
It was later reported that no fire source was found, and the mystery explosion-like sounds and shaking have been attributed to a 1.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred at 5:45 a.m. near Astoria, Queens by the USGS. Local officials have not yet confirmed the earthquake as the official cause of the reported early morning concerns.
