2.7 earthquake rattles New York City metro area, 2nd in 4 days
Gary S. Chapman/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — A small earthquake centered in northern New Jersey on Tuesday rattled the New York City metropolitan area, officials said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the tremor that hit just after noon was centered in Hillsdale, in Bergen County, and measured a magnitude 2.7 on the Richter scale.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, but people across the region reported feeling the quake on social media.
The quake was the second one to hit the New York City metro region four days. Both earthquakes were centered in Bergen County.
On Saturday night, a 3.0 magnitude earthquake was centered northeast of Hasbrouck Heights, about 10 kilometers below the surface, according to the USGS.
Though the quake was relatively minor, there were reports of brief shaking in parts of the area.
In a statement posted on social media, New York City Emergency Management said Saturday’s tremor may have been felt in parts of New York City but that there were no reports of injuries or damage in the city.
Hurricane Erin – The Fifth Named Storm Map/ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Erin, now a powerful Category 4 storm churning in the Caribbean, is not forecast to hit land, but it will impact North Carolina and bring dangerous waves and rip currents to the U.S. East Coast.
Here’s the latest forecast:
Erin’s outer bands lashed the Caribbean this weekend, flooding Puerto Rico and leaving more than 80,000 customers on the island without power on Monday.
A flood watch remains in effect for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for more heavy rain on Monday, while tropical storm alerts were issued in Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas for up to 6 inches of rain and powerful wind gusts through Tuesday.
Erin is forecast to remain a major hurricane through at least mid-week as it begins to move north and then northeast by Thursday. Erin will move between the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda on Thursday and Friday and then head out to sea.
While Erin won’t hit the U.S. directly, the storm’s biggest impact on the East Coast will be along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where coastal flood watches, tropical storm watches and storm surge watches are in effect. The storm surge could be as high as 4 feet.
High surf advisories have also been issued for the Outer Banks, with waves forecast to reach 10 to 15 feet, and even 20 feet in some areas.
The peak of the dangerous waves in the Carolinas will be on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the Outer Banks by late Wednesday.
Officials in Dare County, located in the central Outer Banks, have issued a countywide state of emergency, as well as a mandatory evacuation order for visitors and residents on Hatteras Island. In nearby Hyde County, Ocracoke Island is also under a state of emergency, with mandatory evacuations for residents and visitors.
Lifeguards up and down the East Coast are on alert for dangerous waves from Erin.
A high surf advisory is in effect from Savannah, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina, where waves could reach 6 feet.
By Thursday, as Erin moves north, beaches in New Jersey and Long Island will see massive waves up to 12 feet.
Life-threatening rip currents will also be widespread along the East Coast all week, and likely through the weekend, due to these unsettled waters.
ABC News’ Aidan Gellert and Melissa Griffin contributed to this report.
Tom Brenner For The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The alleged gunman who fatally shot two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., has been indicted on hate crime and murder charges, court records show.
The indictment against Elias Rodriguez, filed Wednesday, alleges he had “expressed support for violence against Israelis” in the days and months leading up to the killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim outside the Capitol Jewish Museum on May 21.
“Violence against anyone in this District will not be tolerated, especially violence which has hate at its core and is the genesis of violence,” D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said at a press conference on Thursday formally announcing the indictment. “The president put me here to do a job, to clean up the District, to make sure that crime doesn’t overshadow this phenomenal city, our nation’s capital.”
Pirro noted the indictment includes a provision that could allow the Justice Department to seek the death penalty if Rodriguez is convicted by a jury.
Pirro also said she personally spoke to Lischinsky and Milgrim’s parents prior to her announcement, who she described as “broken” as a result of Rodriguez’s alleged actions. She said they will have an “opportunity and a right to put their inputs into what decision we ultimately make” regarding the death penalty.
Rodriguez has remained in custody since his arrest and has not yet entered a plea in his case. A public defender representing him did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
He was initially charged via criminal complaint a day after the shooting with first-degree murder, murder of a foreign official, causing death through the use of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Pirro emphasized at the time that the charges were only initial in nature.
The indictment adds two federal counts of hate crime resulting in death and two local counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
Early last month, prosecutors in Rodriguez’s case sought an extension for time to return an indictment against him, noting the complex and unusual nature of the charges he was facing.
Federal prosecutors cite in the indictment a document allegedly authored by Rodriguez titled “Explication,” dated just one day before the shooting. In the writings, the author addresses the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and suggests the latest death toll has been underestimated.
Prosecutors also point to online posts and messages allegedly written by Rodriguez dating back to January 2024 that they say showed support for violence against Israelis. Among them, on Jan. 1, 2024, Rodriguez allegedly posted to social media, “Happy New Year, Death to Israel,” according to the indictment.
Rodriguez was seen in videos shouting “Free, Free Palestine!” inside the museum just minutes after he allegedly shot Lischinsky and Milgrim dozens of times, and later allegedly told police upon his arrest, “I did it for Palestine.”
The complaint alleges that Rodriguez shot the couple in the back and then fired again at Milgrim as she tried to crawl away.
Lischinsky, 30, was a researcher in the political department of the Israeli Embassy, while Milgrim, 26, organized U.S. missions to Israel.
(SAN JOSE, Calif.) — Federal postal investigators are investigating why a car slammed into a neighborhood post office early Sunday morning in San Jose, California.
The post office building caught fire and was engulfed in flames after the car went into it.
The man arrested for the incident was Richard Tillman, who is the brother of late NFL star turned U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman, according to San Jose Police.
Richard Tillman, 44, was booked on suspicion of arson into the Santa Clara County Jail.
“Shortly after 3 a.m. the San Jose Fire and Police Departments responded to reports of a vehicle on fire in the box lobby area at the Almaden Valley Station Post Office. The fire was extinguished with no injuries,” the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said in a statement.
Federal investigators told ABC News they are aware of and investigating spray-painted words found on the post office building and claims that the driver live-streamed driving the car into the building.
The connection of the spray-painted words to the incident is not clear at this point, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News.
It is unclear if the driver was impaired.
ABC News has reached out to the Pat Tillman Foundation for comment from the family.
Pat Tillman put his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals on hold following the Sept. 11 attacks and enlisted in the Army. He was killed by friendly fire while serving in Afghanistan in 2004.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact postal inspectors at 877-876-2455.
