Bayonne City Hall has closed for the day, except for emergency personnel, after a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the East Coast this morning.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“City Hall is CLOSED except for Police, Fire, OEM, and other essential personnel,” the Bayonne Office of Emergency Management wrote on social media minutes ago.
Bayonne Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Edoardo “Junior” Ferrante told HCV that the decision was made to close the municipal building out of an abundance of caution.
“[The] reason we closed City Hall is due to most of the building sitting atop a large underground parking garage. We are having a structural engineer inspecting it to ensure integrity,” he said in a text message.
Across Hudson County, several other entities and officials reacted to the unexpected natural disaster.
“At 10:23 a.m. on April 5, NJCU, and most of the state, experienced a 4.8 magnitude earthquake,” New Jersey City University posted on X.
“There are no reports of any injuries, nor any damage to any facilities on campus, and NJCU will continue to operate as usual. We will continue to update the NJCU community should anything change.”
Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2), a declared Jersey City mayoral candidate, said on social media that he was glad to hear everyone is safe thus far, while Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, a Democratic candidate for Congress, said OEM and public safety officials were assessing potential damage to buildings and infrastructure.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a comment from Bayonne Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Edoardo “Junior” Ferrante.
Bunch of hardworking public servants in Bayonne!