Rockaway Beach is closed Tuesday, as officials investigate a grisly shark attack that left a beachgoer with serious injuries.
The Queens hotspot will be closed off from swimming and surfing on Tuesday, the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation said.
The announcement comes several hours after a middle-aged woman was attacked by a shark in the water near Beach 59th Street around 6 p.m. Monday, the Parks Department previously confirmed.
The incident was the first known shark bite at Rockaway Beach since 1953.
The unlucky swimmer was rescued from the waves by lifeguards, who administered first aid before EMS arrived.
The attack took place around 6 p.m. Monday evening. Getty ImagesRescuers used a tourniquet around the woman’s leg, which was bleeding profusely from the inner thigh, a photo showed.
The victim was taken to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition.
The remaining swimmers in the area were called out of the water, witnesses said.
The woman was hospitalized in critical condition after receiving a serious leg wound. NY Post“Everybody was leaving the beach and they were just like, ‘don’t get in the water,’ and I was like, ‘what happened?’ Somebody got bit by a shark,” one told WABC.
The NYPD subsequently scoured the area by helicopter, but did not spot any sharks.
“We hope for a full recovery for this swimmer,” the parks department said in a statement.
Officials near the scene of the attack on Monday evening. Wayne Carrington“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.”
