Earthquake Felt in Bergen County; Epicenter in Virginia

Bergen County residents felt an earthquake that took place more than 325 miles away in Virginia shortly before 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The quake measured 2.2 on the Richter Scale locally, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed that at 1:51 p.m. Tuesday, an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale occurred in Virgina. The quake was a category VII which features "moderate damage" and "very strong shaking."

The epicenter of the Virginia quake was located nine miles south of Mineral, VA. The USGS said the earthquake was about a half mile deep in the Earth.

The USGS classified the impact of the quake in the New York metro area as a category IV which has "light shaking" and "no damage".

Local police departments said they received reports from numerous callers about their homes and businesses feeling like they shook for several seconds.

"The municipal building noticeably shook and was evacuated," said NMPD Chief Frank Papapietro. "NMPD officers also responded to Woodcrest Center as they began emergency procedures."

Papapietro said the NMFD was placed on standby and NMPD officers from the 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. tour were held over. He also said residents should be aware of the potential for aftershocks.

The Bergen County OEM checked with United Water regarding the integrity of the Oradell Dam and were told "that the integrity of the dam was not compromised," according to Papapietro.

Borough resident Susan Kaprielian posted to Patch that she was in the Paramus Home Depot at the time of the quake. "(I was) standing between gutters and lumber and wondered why everything was vibrating," Kaprielian posted. "My son was in Dollar store in NM and items on shelves were shaking."

Donna Colucci, wife of Councilman Dominic Colucci, was at Van Saun Park with her younger daughter when the earthquake hit but did not feel it. Her older daughter did feel the quake back at home in New Milford.

"My oldest called me and was freaking out, saying that our pictures and doors were rattling, and the pool water was rocking pretty much," said Colucci.

The USGS is asking those who felt the earthquake to fill out an online survey to assist their information gathering.

The Port Authority said flights going into and out of JFK and Newark airports were stopped for a brief period this afternoon while the air traffic control towers were evacuated. Both airports reopened for both incoming and outgoing flights by 3 p.m. Tuesday. LaGuardia Airport was not closed at any time, according to officials.

Some local residents experienced difficulty getting service on their cellphones in the hour after the quake. Papapietro said cell phone circuits were overloaded in the borough following the quake.

Numerous phone companies advised their customers to text or e-mail and avoid making calls to cut down on call volume and improve cell service. Those companies included T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon.

Stay tuned for further updates as more information is made available. Last update was made at 4:21 p.m.