‘The Ground Shook!’ — Widespread Reports of Shaking Ground Friday Afternoon Across South Jersey

Whoa! We've seen literally HUNDREDS of reports that the ground in South Jersey shook for nearly 30 seconds Friday afternoon.

It raises the question: did an Earthquake just strike New Jersey on Friday, January 13, 2023?

The reports of the ground shaking have stretched across a large swath of South Jersey, and they started to come in just before 2 pm on Friday.

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From Vineland to Williamstown and Egg Harbor Township to Ocean City, it looks like a lot of people felt it across southern New Jersey.

Though, no damage has been reported, as of 2:30 pm on Friday.

However, those in the area say that their doors and windows rattled. Many others said that their pets also reacted to the shaking on Friday afternoon.

Patrick Gordon at the Naval Air Station in Patuxent, Maryland, told New Jersey 101.5's Dan Alexander that an aircraft in the Atlantic Test Track went supersonic — and that could account for the loud boom that was heard along the East Coast.

Gordon explained that there is a strip of airspace off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean that is commonly called the "test track,” which runs parallel to the Delmarva Peninsula. Certain atmospheric conditions could make it possible for sound from the sonic booms to travel.

Friday afternoon's shaking has not been confirmed by any official organization — including the USGS, which tracks earthquakes. Sometimes, such shaking can be caused by military aircraft and a sonic boom. Though, as of this moment there are no official reports of such an event in the area.

Having said that, this is not the first time in recent memory that we've seen such a report. In fact, it's not even the first time this week.

Just the other day there were a TON of similar reports from North Jersey. That shaking appeared to be centered in the Westwood area, but it remains a bit of a mystery still.

We'll keep our eyes (and ears) open for any confirmation about today's shaking.