This is the heartwrenching moment a pet dog was seen panicking when an earthquake hit New Jersey.

The one-year-old pooch scampered across the room while trembling with fear at the home in Dunellen on April 5.

Ownerr Michael joked that the seismic event might have been perceived as retribution for the dog tearing apart his pillows.

He added: 'Can't leave pillows around now.'

The magnitude-4.8 quake struck at 10:23 local time, sending shockwaves as far as New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and Boston.

Several aftershocks reverberated through the region. These included a magnitude 2.0 aftershock near Bedminster at 11:20 a.m., along with subsequent tremors near Whitehouse Station, Califon, and Chester, ranging from magnitudes 1.8 to 2.2.