Two Children Attacked by Sharks Off Long Island

A young boy and girl were attacked separately by sharks at Atlantique Beach and Sailors Haven on Wednesday.

The 13-year-old boy was boogie boarding, while the 12-year-old girl was wading in waist-deep water. While the sites of the attacks were more than four miles apart from one another, both were attacked by the aquatic apex predators around noon on July 18th.

At a news conference, the girl described seeing a fin and feeling the shark swimming against her. By the time she had safely reached the shore, her leg was “all bloody.” Meanwhile, the boy was boogie boarding when his close encounter sent him stumbling onto the beach, where he was spotted by a lifeguard.

A shark tooth was reportedly removed from the boy’s leg, but neither victim sustained life-threatening wounds. Both children are recovering normally. In response to the attacks, the town of Islip on Long Island shut down their beaches for the day.

The last shark attack off Long Island was in 1938, one of just seven that have occurred since 1670.