Earthquake shook New Jersey while you slept early Wednesday

A 3.1 magnitude earthquake rumbled Central Jersey early Wednesday morning around 2 a.m., according to the US Geological Survey.

The USGS reported the quake was centered near East Freehold with more than 5,000 reports from people as of 4 a.m. Reports to the USGS in New Jersey mostly came from an area running across the center of the state that included Burlington, Mercer, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties.

There were also some reports north into Union County and Staten Island, with scattered reports in Bergen, Morris, Passaic and Warren counties. Some reports came into areas further south in Atlantic County, and further west in Bucks County.

Marlboro and Manalapan police confirmed on social media they were aware of the earthquake and asked residents not to call about the quake unless there was an emergency.

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said the epicenter of the quake was near the department's Public Safety Complex on Kozloski Road in the East Freehold section of Freehold Township.

"We received 125 calls into the communications center in a half-hour span on this. No damage was reported and no resources were dispatched," Golden told New Jersey 101.5.

Mary Ellen Shevlin said in a Facebook message to New Jersey 101.5 her whole house shook in Old Bridge. while user Jean Marie said in a message she felt it in Jackson.

"I was in Lincroft and I woke up right before it hit. I felt my bed going for a few minutes! But it really wasn’t very long. It was crazy," Stefanie Kyak said in a Facebook message.

Ray Movvs in Freehold told New Jersey 101.5 via email that “around 2 a.m. today my whole house shook violently for few seconds working up my family. Looked outside through window but nothing obvious.”

"Around 2 a.m. our house shaked like something huge hit the house," Larissa Ni from Monroe said in an email.

Pat Reilly in Middletown reported on Twitter feeling a “rumbling then shaking. Thought my furnace was blowing up!”

"I was awake and heard what sounded like muffled thunder but no movement in Howell but my son, six miles away said his whole house shook but they didn’t hear anything in Freehold," Pamela D'Alise D'Angelo wrote in a Facebook comment.

The last major earthquake felt in New Jersey was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Virginia in August 2011.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ