New Jersey Earthquake: South Jersey residents describe earth shaking; others not convinced it happened

Earthquake upsets South Jersey residents going about daily routine

Some residents in South Jersey were not convinced they experienced the 4.8 earthquake that shook the earth about an hour north of them.

CINNAMINSON, N.J. - A 4.8 earthquake centered in Hunterdon County, New Jersey Friday prompted Governor Phil Murphy to activate the Emergency Operations Center. He took to social media to remind people to not call 911 unless they were experiencing an actual emergency after the earthquake.

Some residents of South Jersey felt the shaking of the midmorning quake but weren’t initially convinced it was an earthquake.

Erin Fitzpatrick and her young cousin Justin shot a little hoop in a Cinnaminson park as Justin’s spring break was ending. The perfect jump shot wasn’t their only focus. There’s the quake.

Fitzpatrick said she was visiting her friends’ newborn baby and "We thought oh, my goodness the house is shaking. We thought it was like a truck and I’m like it was the wind." Fitzpatrick was startled to learn it was an earthquake.

Second-grader, Justin, focused on pushing the ball up to the 10-foot hoop, wasn’t convinced. "I don’t think the earthquake went to Maple Shade," he said. He was surprised to learn it had.

Across South Jersey, folks had stories to tell about the 4.8, midmorning shaker which even made Lady Liberty in New York Harbor swoon.

Diane Savon of South Hampton was sitting in her home with her pets in her lap. She said, "We were just sitting quietly and all of a sudden it felt like five trucks going up the driveway or something and I thought it couldn’t be, and I opened the door, and it was gone." Her sister broke the news.

Residents near earthquake epicenter describe the tumultuous morning

People living at the epicenter of the 4.8 earthquake Friday describe how it felt to be in the middle of such an unusual event for the region.

In Medford, the unthinkable happened! The North Jersey-based quake, the talk of the east coast, interrupted a pickleball game!

Phyllis Nicholas was playing pickleball when, "My partner stopped because he got something on his phone, and I said we never stop to answer the phone for pickleball. We continue to play and got off the court and his wife asked if we felt the tremor. We said we did not."

But most did feel the shaking, and some were reminded of the last time.

Ruth Heald remembered a rumble in Ocean City and said it’s not totally unexpected but laughed when asked if she was now a veteran of tremblers.