ABC News April 5, 2024

Northeast quake rattles residents: 'A roller coaster under my house'

WATCH: Residents react to rare Northeast earthquake

The 4.8 magnitude earthquake that rattled the tristate area Friday morning left residents doubting what they had just experienced.

"I felt like there was a roller coaster under my house going 1,000 miles an hour," Carol Nicolaidis of Brooklyn, New York, told ABC News. "I first thought pipes were exploding under my house."

The earthquake that hit New Jersey Friday morning could be felt as far south as Washington, D.C., and as far north as Maine, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

MORE: New Jersey, New York City rocked by rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake: Live updates

"I was sitting in my living room and I saw the walls shaking; it felt like a wave," Nicolaidis said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the quake one of the largest on the East Coast in the last century.

Matt Rourke/AP
A sign is displayed at the train station in Whitehouse Station, N.J., where the reported quake was centered, April 5, 2024.

There have been no reports of injuries or major infrastructure damage, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. But there were reports of "limited damage" in Lebanon, New Jersey, near the quake's epicenter.

Students at New York's Rye Country Day School thought the earthquake was "the coolest thing ever," Gail Sestito, dean of Grades 7 and 8 and a middle school science instructor, told ABC News.

"Many said they saw the lights shaking a little and the smart board vibrate. But mostly we heard it -- sounded like students running down the hall," she said.

Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
The sun sets on the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City behind Hoboken, New Jersey as seen from Jersey City, NJ, March 16, 2024.
MORE: Here are notable earthquakes felt in the NYC region

There's a 46% chance there could be an aftershock of over 3.0 in magnitude within the next week, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

"If you feel an aftershock, drop to the floor, cover your head and neck, and take cover under a solid piece of furniture, next to an interior wall, or in a doorway," Adams said in a statement.