Authorities temporarily closed almost a mile of the Rockaway Beach coastline due to the sighting of a shark off its shore on Thursday, as per the NYPD.
Kaz Daughtry, the department’s deputy commissioner of operations, said on X that after seeing the razor-toothed fish on police drones, officials decided to ban swimming between Beach 58th and 81st streets.
“Our drones will continue to monitor the waters for any other shark sightings or swimmers in distress. Our goal is to keep the public safe and with new and improving drone technology we are able to do that”, the official tweeted.
According to data from the International Shark Attack File, at least six potential shark attacks were reported at New York state’s beaches in 2022—more than in any of the previous ten years. According to reports, all of the victims escaped with very minor wounds.
Be Advised! Our drones have sighted a shark at Rockaway Beach. Beach will be closed from Beach 58th to Beach 81st. Our drones will continue to monitor the waters for any other shark sightings or swimmers in distress. Our goal is to keep the public safe and with new and improving… pic.twitter.com/azGxyKdcqH
— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) July 11, 2024
