A woman is in serious but stable condition following an apparent shark attack off the coast of New York City’s Rockaway Beach on Monday.
Police responded to Beach 59th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard just before 6pm Monday and applied a tourniquet to the woman’s leg where she suffered a shark bite, according to the NYPD’s public information office.
It was reported by Fox5 that when first responders arrived on the scene, the woman was found unconscious, either from blood loss or shock.
The 50-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, is in serious but stable condition at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, officials said.
The beach was immediately cleared as police used drones and a helicopter to search unsuccessfully for the shark. The beach remains closed Tuesday, with swimming and surfing prohibited.
A woman was in serious but stable condition after a shark attack on Monday off Rockaway Beach— (Citizen App)
Parks Enforcement and NYPD will be patrolling the beach to keep swimmers out of the water, officials said in a statement. FDNY and NYPD will continue aerial surveillance of the beach to monitor for sharks.
Shark sightings are rare in the waters off New York City, but they have been spotted more in recent years moving closer to shore for warmer temperatures.
Last month, three shark attacks were reported in the waters off the coast of Long Island just north of Rockaway Beach.
Sand tiger sharks have been spotted in large numbers close to the shore also off the coast of Long Island this summer.
Shark sightings are rare in the waters off New York City, like Rockaway Beach (pictured), but they have been spotted more in recent years moving closer to shore for warmer temperatures— (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
The NYC Parks Department released the following statement:
“We hope for a full recovery for this swimmer. Though this was a frightening event, we want to remind New Yorkers that shark bites in Rockaway are extremely rare. We remain vigilant in monitoring the beach and always clear the water when a shark is spotted… Prior to today, we have no reports of shark bites on Rockaway Beach in recent memory.
“In the city, NOAA Fisheries monitors all marine species and posts educational information on their website. NYS DEC sets the regulations for recreational and commercial fishing, including sharks.
“While Parks is not the primary agency responsible for monitoring sharks, both lifeguards and beachgoers report shark sightings. Our lifeguards then work to verify the sighting and ask for a flyover by NYPD if warranted. If appropriate, the lifeguards will whistle people into shallower water, or in extreme cases, whistle people out of the water. This is usually fairly localized.”
