Jones Beach swimmer suffers ‘possible shark bite’ as Long Island police step up patrols

Nassau County police are stepping up beach patrols for the July 4 holiday weekend after a swimmer at Jones Beach suffered a “possible shark bite” on Thursday, authorities said.

The 37-year-old was in the water when he “suffered a laceration in his right foot” around 1 p.m. in Wantagh State Park, Nassau County Police said in a news release Friday.

He was treated for a possible bite by medics on the beach and then taken to hospital, officials said.

The possible shark attack came after the town of Hempstead launched a new ‘Shark Patrol’ over Memorial Day weekend after a fisherman spotted a 10ft mako shark near Point Lookout – at around 11 miles west of Jones Beach.

The new patrol, which covers the city’s beaches, consists of lifeguards who patrol the coast on jet skis for signs of dangerous fish, officials said.

“We are actually investing in a crew that will now hit the waters, go to shore, go up and down this area of ​​the coast and see if they can spot any sharks in the area,” the city supervisor reportedly said. Hempstead, Don Clavin.

Shark sightings have recently increased on Long Island, with more sightings in the past two years than the previous decade.

Actual shark attacks on Long Island are rare. None were reported in New York in 2021, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File.

In 2018, two swimmers were bitten by sharks off Fire Island.