New Jersey earthquake? 3.1-magnitude quake shakes people awake early Wednesday

New Jersey earthquake? 3.1-magnitude quake shakes people awake early Wednesday

ASBURY PARK, N.J. — A 3.1 magnitude earthquake was confirmed to have struck parts of Central Jersey early Wednesday morning, according to a report from the United States Geological Survey.

The quake was felt around 2 a.m., lasting 13 seconds about a mile and a half near  Freehold Township, according to USGS geophysicist Robert Sanders. 

"We've received a high concentration of reports from local residents of a quake being felt out of Freehold," Sanders said.

There have been two previous earthquakes on record that have also struck within 10 miles of the epicenter of Wednesday's morning quake in Freehold: A 3.1 earthquake happened in June 1992 and a 3.5 struck in 1979, according to Sanders.