Earthquake in NJ: 'I Thought a Car Hit the Garage'

In what the AP calls a "rare occurrence," an earthquake struck New Jersey in the early hours of Wednesday. The magnitude 3.1 temblor struck in East Freehold around 2am, per the US Geological Survey. The AP spoke with USGS geophysicist Robert Sanders, who gives the quake some historical context: He says that since 1970, two other quakes have struck within 10 miles of the location, a 3.5 in 1979 and a 3.1 in 1992.

And while it was strong enough to rouse people from their sleep, "It would be very surprising for us to see anything more than you know, damaged shelves or picture frames falling off of windows," Sanders adds. NJ.com has this reaction from one Roosevelt resident: “Everyone woke up including the dog. I thought a car hit the garage." Per a tweet from the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office, the quake was felt "in much of central New Jersey." (More earthquake stories.)