New Yorkers told to stay away from high-rise buildings after earthquake

New York is home to hundreds of skyscrapers measuring over 150m tall.

Later, in a news conference, Eric Adams, the New York City mayor, urged residents to “go about their normal day”.

He said no major injuries or damage had been reported but urged city residents to take cover if they feel any further shaking.

Mr Adams also said that everyone in the city had felt the earthquake, before going on to say he hadn’t noticed anything.

“All of us felt, in some way or another, the earthquake hit our city at around 10:23am,” he told reporters.

Asked where he was when the quake struck, Mr Adams said: “I was at [a] youth gun summit and I didn’t feel it, my security detail brought it to my attention.”

Others didn’t notice the tremors amid the chaos of Manhattan traffic, with some people initially thinking claims it had happened were a practical joke.

Jessica Anne, 30, who works in finance, was buying an iced coffee near Madison Square Park when the tremor struck.

“I was getting loads of messages about the earthquake but I felt nothing,” she said.

“I asked my friend if claiming there’d been a natural disaster was a new TikTok trend because I didn’t believe anyone.”