Former Central New York residents were taken by surprise by the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on Friday morning. Lauren Zinszer, currently living on Long Island, was at work when the quake occurred. She described how the room suddenly started shaking, causing fear and confusion among those present. In Brooklyn, Dan Frohm was sleeping at home and was awakened by the quake, likening the sensation to his house feeling as fragile as matchsticks. Though the epicenter was in New Jersey, people across the East Coast reported feeling the tremors, including students at Syracuse University and SUNY ESF.

Isabel Meara, an SU student from New Jersey, recounted her father’s experience at home during the quake, which startled their pets. Conversely, Erin Lutz, a SUNY ESF student from the West Coast, expressed surprise that such a significant earthquake could be felt in Central New York, reflecting on her experience of initially mistaking the Earth’s movement for her friend’s nervous foot tapping. Some, like SU student Ben Deitrick, did not feel the earthquake at all, highlighting the varying perceptions among individuals in the same geographical area.