Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake Shakes Virginia, Eastern Seaboard

Note: Michael Theis is the local editor of Fredericksburg Patch.

A terrible trembling has apparently shaken the city of Fredericksburg and other areas in northern Virginia. The incident happened around 1:50 p.m. Eastern time. Details are scarce at the moment, but twitter is lighting up with reports of tremors in Fredericksburg, King George, and Manassas among others.

According to Twitter reports, the shaking was felt as far away as Cleveland and New York City.

Seattle-area sports columnist Greg Johns, a writer for the shuttered Eastside daily paper King County Journal and who now works for MLB.com,tweeted: "Still a little wobbling in the press box at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Hearing quake was centered outside D.C., must have been big one." Johns, who was at the Mariners-Indians game, later tweeted that it was not felt on the field, though others in the stands reported feeling shaking.

Bellevue-native and AOL employee Scott Iwata, who works in New York City, tweeted to nearby Bellevue Patch: "Yeah we're good out here just noticed my monitors were wiggling and felt my leg shake without me shaking it."

News reports say that the Pentagon was being evacuated after the quake.

The tremors sent people scurrying into the streets here near the home offices of Fredericksburg Patch on Forbes Street.

Hector Correra, a painter working at 1314 Caroline Street was on top of a ladder scraping paint when the quake struck.

"It was weird." said the shaken Correra. He said he's never felt an earthquake in Virginia before. 

According to a message broadcast to police officers on emergency frequencies with the University of Mary Washington, a magnitude 5.8 quake struck the city. The message did not name its source. 

Police and emergency radio messages indicate that personnel are inspecting buildings on the campus for damage and that all buildings are being evacuated. 

Calls are out to the United States Geological Service for more information. Stay tuned toFredericksburg Patch as more details are learned.

Edited and additional reporting by Bellevue Patch