The sea life in and around New York City has been super unpredictable lately. There have been numerous dolphin sightings all year, but the predators have now seemed to catch up.
At around 6 PM on Monday, FDNY responded to a peculiar call from Beach 59th Street and Rockaway Boulevard. The call reported a “major injury” on the beach, but authorities soon came to another conclusion.
According to the officials, a 50-year-old woman suffered a significant injury, which appeared to be a shark bite!
Rescuers applied a tourniquet to the woman’s leg, which was bleeding heavily, and she was immediately rushed to Jamaica Hospital.
Shark sightings have become more common in Queens and on Long Island in recent years, which has led to the city officially deploying shark-monitoring drones just a few weeks ago.
Following increased shark sightings in the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that new shark-monitoring drones are being distributed to coastal areas of Long Island, NYC, and Westchester County. The announcement was made on July 14, on what’s known as International Shark Awareness Day.
Following the attack in Rockaway, NYPD and FDNY will also deploy drones in the area on Tuesday to scan the waters for sharks, according to the NY Post.
Apparently, this beach isn’t exactly new to shark visits. During a heatwave in July 2022, the Parks Department was forced to close Rockaway Beach for a day due to shark sightings.
We’re hoping the woman’s injuries aren’t too severe!