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 suffered a “possible shark bite” at Jones Beach on Thursday, authorities said.

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

He was treated by medics on the beach for the possible bite and then taken to a 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 caught a 10-foot mako shark near Point Lookout — about 11 miles west of Jones Beach – had discovered.

The new patrol, covering the city’s beaches, consists of lifeguards who patrol the shoreline on jet skis, looking for signs of the dangerous fish, officials said.

“We’re actually investing in a crew that’s going to get in the water now, walk the shoreline, walk up and down this stretch of shoreline and see if they can spot sharks in the area,” said Don Clavin, the Hempstead City Supervisor.

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

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

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