A 4.8-magnitude earthquake shook the greater New York City area on Friday morning. Unsurprisingly, New Yorkers responded in the most New York way — by making memes about it.
Following the surprise geological event, internet users immediately took to social media and similarly asked one very important question: “Did everyone in NYC feel that earthquake too?”
According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake was centred near Lebanon, New Jersey, approximately 40 miles west of Manhattan. The ground shook at around 10.20am and could be felt by millions of people as far away as Delaware. A ground stop was ordered at JFK, Newark, and Baltimore airports, but the Fire Department of New York said there were no initial reports of damage.
Of course, after something as shocking as an earthquake in New York City, it’s important to check in on friends, colleagues, and neighbours to make sure they’re safe and sound. But once that was done, it didn’t take long for the memes to start pouring in.
Much like any event that takes place in the Big Apple, Instagram feeds and X/Twitter timelines were filled with New York City-themed jokes. Some viral posts imagined a potential press briefing from mayor Eric Adams — “New York City is the San Andreas Fault of America” — while others simply wondered if their shaking apartment was due to near constant construction.
Perhaps the most important update came from the official X account for the Empire State Building, which reassured everyone: “I AM FINE.”
Here are the best memes and reactions to the 4.8-magnitude earthquake.
Blame New Jersey
As if New York’s long-lasting feud with New Jersey couldn’t get any worse, this was everyone in New York when they learned the epicentre of the earthquake came from the neighbouring state.
“We will rebuild”
In reality, the 4.8-magnitude earthquake only lasted some odd seconds and there was minimal damage from the tremors. As a result, many people shared memes on social media that captured the reality of the situation.
A 4.8 in New York City is a 10 anywhere else
In case you didn’t know, the Richter scale and the so-called “attractiveness” scale are two very different things. For starters, one measures the strength of earthquakes while the other is simply an arbitrary social metre that proves to have no real-life consequences. Nevertheless, the jokes rolled in.
A Freaky Friday sequel
In the 2003 Disney film Freaky Friday, fans are well aware that an earthquake follows after Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis’ characters switch bodies. Of course, this prompted one person to ask: “Does anyone have eyes on Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan?”
Earthquake meets ‘Sex and the City’
And just like that… there’s a Sex and the City meme for anything. One user on X imagined how an earthquake-themed Sex and the City episode would portray Carrie Bradshaw’s inner monologue.
NYC earthquake provides an excuse to text your ex
According to several people on social media, an earthquake is the prime excuse to break “no-contact” with your ex significant other. Plus, the “Future Sending Exes Texts” meme – which shows rapper Future sending a text message along with a caption – was given new life on Friday following the earthquake.
Follow for live updates about the New York City area earthquake here.
