An earthquake shook buildings across parts of the Northeast Friday morning, according to the US Geological Survey, with reports of tremors felt from Washington, D.C., to New York City in New England. The New York Police Department said no damage or injuries were reported. The New York City Fire Department said the quake struck around 10:30 a.m., with the department receiving reports of buildings shaking. "We are responding to calls and assessing structural stability," the department said in a statement. "There are no major incidents at this time."

In parts of New York City, startled residents of apartments and row houses spilled onto the sidewalks in front of their buildings in the minutes after the shaking stopped. "Everything started vibrating and then I felt the building shake," said David Rodriguez, a resident of Hoboken, New Jersey. “I thought it was a big truck outside until everything started shaking. But there was that sound of something rocking from side to side." The X account for the Empire State Building posted: "I'm fine." Long after the earthquake subsided, residents were startled again by loud emergency alerts on their cellphones. Light tremors are unlikely to cause damage, according to initial data from the USGS. Initial reports indicated a 4.8-magnitude quake, but it was revised down to 4.7 before being adjusted back to 4.8. This may change again after more data is reviewed.

The epicenter was just northeast of Lebanon, New Jersey, less than 50 miles west of New York City, according to the USGS. The mild earthquake was shallow, just below the surface at a depth of 5 km, which made it easier for residents of the affected areas to feel the tremors. Initial reports indicate that tremors were widely felt in New York City, Philadelphia and Washington. Flights to New York's Kennedy, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Newark airports are being held, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The air traffic control tower at Newark Liberty Airport is being evacuated, a controller said in a radio broadcast after the quake, meaning flights were being held while controllers were moved to an alternate location. "Nobody's going anywhere right now," said a controller over the radio frequency. The tracks were in the process of being inspected for damage. Shortly after the earthquake, controllers at LaGuardia were still clearing flights to depart there. /CNN