A swimmer sustained foot injuries during a suspected shark attack Friday afternoon at Jones Beach State Park on Long Island, New York, prompting authorities to temporarily suspend swimming activities amidst a brutal regional heat wave.
The incident occurred around 12:00 p. m.
at Field 6 of the South Shore beachfront, according to statements from the New York City Parks Department and the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Lifeguards responded immediately to the scene, and an ambulance transported the unidentified victim to Nassau County University Medical Center Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening lacerations to the right foot.
Beach Reopened After Search
Officials immediately halted swimming at Jones Beach for an hour to search for dangerous marine life, reopening the water to waist-deep wading after no sharks were found, according to the state parks office.
The State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation confirmed that the beach reopened after no sharks or other dangerous marine life were observed during the suspension.
The incident marks the first potential shark attack of the season in New York, following a June 2025 incident at the same beach where a 20-year-old woman was likely bitten by a juvenile sand tiger shark.
The encounter follows a series of recent shark sightings that triggered intermittent closures at Queens' Rockaway Beach and Long Island's Point Lookout, where lifeguards ordered swimmers out of the water on Thursday.
New York authorities have expanded surveillance efforts by deploying 16 additional camera-equipped drones this year, bringing the state agency total to 46 drones monitoring the coastlines for shark activity and bait fish schools.
Despite the rise in sightings due to enhanced drone surveillance, unprovoked shark bites remain extremely rare worldwide, with the United States recording only 25 unprovoked attacks and one fatality last year.
