Just days before the Fourth of July crowds hit the sand, a 20-year-old woman got a shocking surprise while swimming at Jones Beach in Long Island.
What experts believe was a bite from a juvenile sand tiger shark.
The woman was in waist-deep water when she felt something clamp down on her left foot and leg.
Lifeguards and EMTs rushed in, and she was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Beach Shut After Scare
Officials say the bite wasn’t life-threatening—but it was enough to put everyone on edge.
“We’ve never seen anything like this here,” beachgoer Alejandro Aranjo told local reporters.
“Now I don’t even know if I want to let my kids go in.” Officials quickly shut down swimming and launched drone searches.
No shark was spotted, but precautions are still in place.
Lifeguards and park police are patrolling by land, sea, and air.
Though it’s Jones Beach’s first shark incident of 2025, experts urge calm. “Sharks don’t seek out humans,” say marine biologists.
Most bites? Simple cases of mistaken identity—especially from younger sharks.
Unprovoked shark attacks actually dropped worldwide in 2024.
But try telling that to someone with fresh bite marks.
So if you’re heading to the beach this weekend, maybe keep one eye on the waves—and the other on your toes.
