Hochul ribbed online for calling New Jersey ‘west of Manhattan’ after earthquake

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) was dinged on social media Friday after saying that the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that shook New York hit “west of Manhattan” rather than mentioning New Jersey.

“A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York,” Hochul said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day,” she continued. 

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter of the quake was near Lebanon, N.J., a description reiterated by both the New York mayor’s office and New York City 311.

But while Hochul’s remarks were serious, it didn’t go unnoticed that she didn’t mention the Garden State.

A number of people took to X to jab the governor, including law professor and political scientist Anthony Michael Kreis, whose hometown is situated at the quake’s epicenter.

“New Jersey has a name, Kathy,” Kreis wrote in a post on X. 

In another post, New York Times reporter Liam Stack said that referring to the quake’s epicenter as “West of Manhattan is the New Yorkiest possible way to refer to New Jersey.”

“‘West of Manhattan’?” wrote ESPN reporter Don Van Natta Jr. on X. “All of America is… west of Manhattan.”

In his post, Natta also shared a screenshot of a famous cover of The New Yorker from 1976 that satirized how some people in the city view Manhattan as the center of the world.

Several New York lawmakers echoed Hochul’s account of the news, including Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine (D-N.Y.). 

Though the quake struck the New York City area, it was also reported to have been felt in Philadelphia and Boston. Meanwhile, major airports in the region, including both Newark Liberty International and John F. Kennedy International airports, issued ground stops following the quake.