The cause of small explosions and tremors on New York City's Roosevelt Island remains "unfounded," a spokesperson for the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) tells Newsweek.
Calls came into the department shortly before 6 a.m. on Tuesday from residents on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Astoria, Queens, reporting what they said were explosions causing a building to shake. It was believed to be activity coming from the 500 block of Main Street, south of the Roosevelt Island Tramway.
Numerous FDNY units showed up to investigate. Gas and electric utility Con Edison was also called to the scene. EMS personnel on the scene said that FDNY crews were investigating "multiple maintenance hole fires."
"It was very loud," one Roosevelt Island resident told The Daily Mail. "The walls shook, and you could hear my windows rattling." An Astoria resident also told the outlet that the explosion was so fierce it felt like "a truck had plowed into our building."
"Loud booms and a shake," the person said. "We're still trying to chill from that. Scary stuff."
No injuries were reported, and the FDNY declared the incident under control shortly after 7 a.m. in what was described as an "unfounded cause of reported explosions/shaking." The scene was turned over to Con Edison.
Newsweek reached out to Con Edison via phone and email for comment.
Local ABC affiliate WABC reported that buildings at 2 and 4 River Road were experiencing power outages, indicating that the noise could have been electrical. FDNY personnel checked the building's foundation and reportedly discovered no structural damage.
The streets around the scene remained open to pedestrians during the investigation. The New York Police Department (NYPD) was on scene handling traffic while helicopters were spotted in the area conducting an aerial investigation.
Video posted on social media highlighted the large presence of first responders, including several fire trucks and police vehicles.
Newsweek reached out to NYPD via email for comment.
Neighbors of the building told local news station PIX11 that they thought the bangs were earthquakes due to the effects.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is available.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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