The Statue of Liberty was struck by lightening on Wednesday and less than 48 hours later, the famous New York City structure survived a 4.8 magnitude earthquake. Social media users posted videos of the centuries old copper structure shaking as a quake sent tremors across the area.

Live cams across NYC, including the one atop the Statue of Liberty, captured Friday’s earthquake and its aftershocks in real time. The initial quake’s epicenter was reported in Lebanon in New Jersey, about 50 miles west of Manhattan. New York City, Philadelphia and Boston felt the tremors around 10:23 AM local time, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) noted.

While videos from across New York City showed shaking, a camera from the Statue of Liberty’s torch covered the earthquake.

Several aftershocks were recorded after the 4.8 magnitude earthquake, most notable one centered in Gladstone, New Jersey at about 6 PM local time. New York Governor Kathy Hochul had warned about aftershocks. “If there is an aftershock, people are encouraged to drop and cover and to hold, drop to the floor, cover your neck, and hold onto something that is sturdy,” CNN quoted her as saying.

On Wednesday, the Statue of Liberty’s torch was struck by lightening. It was after a severe storm hit New York City, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and flashes of lightening. The visual was captured by photographer Dan Martland.

Responding to a social media user’s question on how long he waited to click the picture, the photographer explained: “I usually track the weather with apps and head out if it’s looking good. I’ve had times where I’ve been out for eight hours and got nothing. Today was only an hour. The storm passed pretty quick. And the apps showed that there was no more cells coming my way.”

Source: Times Now
--Agencies