Massive shark spotted by Long Island swimmers shuts down beaches on 90-degree day
Swimmers at a Long Island beach had a “Jaws”-dropping experience — spotting a massive 9-foot shark that shut down the water as patrols are now in search of the beast.
The fish was first seen on Thursday just before 10:30 a.m. at Point Lookout in Hempstead, prompting Nassau County’s shark patrol units to spring into action, town officials told The Post.
“Once lifeguards confirmed the sighting — they red flagged the beach and now shark patrol is out on the water,” Hempstead town spokesperson Brian Devine told The Post this morning.
Those trying to escape the humid, 90-plus degree day at a town beach in Hempstead had to look elsewhere for hours before the red-flag was finally lifted, allowing swimmers back into the water by 2 p.m., town officials told The Post.
However, It is currently unclear whether the sighting may cause additional beach closures throughout the Fourth of July weekend if spotted again.
The sighting comes just barely two months after a 9-foot, 423 pound great white shark was spotted close by the Jersey Shore.
Last June, a 20-year-old woman was bitten on the foot by a shark while swimming in the water at Central Mall beachfront at Jones Beach State Park just a week after another woman was bit by a tiger shark at just miles away at the same beach.
“There are sharks in the water,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman told reporters a year ago, when he first announced a boost in summer shark patrols after the attacks.
