The first New York City shark attack in decades occurred Monday, when a 65-year-old woman was bitten in the water off a Queens beach.
The woman, whose name was not released, suffered a shark bite on her left leg as she swam off Rockaway Beach, according to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
The Queens resident was swimming about 50 feet from shore at 5:50 p.m. when the shark chomped down on her left leg, the New York Daily News reported. The shark tore off a piece of the woman's flesh above the knee before swimming away.
Lifeguards helped pull the woman from the water and police officers frantically applied a tourniquet before the woman was transported to Jamaica Hospital.
The woman, who first was reported to be 50 before police said her age was 65, was initially listed in critical condition. She was later upgraded to stable condition.
The parks department said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Rockaway Beach would be closed Tuesday.
Police used quad-rotor drones over the water immediately following the incident, but did not detect any sharks.
"We hope for a full recovery for this swimmer," Parks Department spokeswoman Meghan Lalor said, the Daily News reported. "Though this was a frightening event. We want to remind New Yorkers that shark bites in Rockaway are extremely rare. We remain vigilant in monitoring the beach and always clear the water when a shark is spotted."
Rockaway Beach was closed temporarily on July 23, 2022, after reported shark sightings.
Two shark attacks, one in 1909 and one in 1953, occurred at Rockaway Beach, according to AZ Animals.com.
Shark sightings and attacks are more common farther east on Long Island, where five swimmers suffered shark bites this year, including three on July 4.
Monday's weather and water conditions likely increased the likelihood of attacks because sharks often use their mouths to gauge whether other animals are prey, one Long Island shark expert said.
"Today it was really windy, the water was churned up. The water is probably a little more murky. That all adds to the potential of these bites happening," Christopher Paparo, manager of the marine lab at Stony Brook University, told the Daily News.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.