Lifeguard catches shark with bare hands on Long Island Beach

Click here for updates on this story

    LONG ISLAND, N.Y. (WCBS) — Beachgoers were surprised to discover they were sharing the waves with a mini-Jaws this past weekend on Long Island when a live shark washed up on shore. A crowd of onlookers formed around 10:15 AM last Friday at Robert Moses Field Two as a dorsal fin poked out of the water followed by a long pointed tail and of course, a set of shark teeth.

Lifeguards on the scene sprang in to action and moved to corral the shark as it appeared unable to swim through the current and back out into the ocean on it’s own. Local woman Janee Law was enjoying a day of sun and sand nearby when she spotted a commotion bubbling up nearby.

“I saw people were looking out into the water and pointing so I grabbed my phone and went down to the shoreline,” Law said. “There was a fin poking out of the water and the shark kept getting washed up on shore. I’m a Shark Week fan myself so just seeing the fin bobbing out of the water was so exciting. I’ve lived on Long Island my whole life and never saw a shark out here; it was awesome.”

Shark sightings have surged in the past 12 months with at least 26 recorded instances in New York state. Marine experts believe rising ocean temperatures along with an increase in boating due to the pandemic are driving sharks to explore closer to the shore than they have in years past.

As for this particular shark’s adventure on to land, once lifeguards were able to remove the unexpected visitor from the shore they loaded it into the back of a cart and drove it further down the beach to release it back into the ocean ensuring the safety of humans and ocean predator alike.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.