Shark Sighting Sends Swimmers Briefly Out Of Water In NYC

NEW YORK CITY, NY — Shark sightings sent swimmers scrambling at New York City beaches during a packed Fourth of July weekend.

Over the holiday weekend, numerous shark sightings at Rockaway Beach in Queens temporarily cleared swimmers from the water, prompting officials to ramp up shark monitoring.

Officials closed sections of the beach each day through Sunday after drones detected sharks swimming near the shore, according to a statement from Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry.

The city’s drone team spotted a shark just 100 feet from swimmers off Beach 113th Street on Sunday evening, leading officials to close the stretch of shoreline from Beach 113th to Beach 115th.

Although the shark was last seen heading back into open waters, the Parks Department opted to close the beach for the remainder of the day out of caution.

On Friday, city officials reported multiple shark sightings at Rockaway Beach before noon. One was spotted around 11:30 a.m. near Beach 32nd Street, another near Beach 144th Street, and a third near Beach 30th Street, which prompted a one-hour closure of that section of the beach.

As of Monday morning, the following sections of Rockaway Beach are open for swimming: Beach 9–12, 15–18, 32–36, 57, 59–66, 75–87, 93–110, and 115–144. All other sections remain closed to swimmers.

City officials said they will continue drone patrols along the shoreline to monitor for shark activity and identify distressed swimmers.

"From the sky to the surf, we are constantly patrolling with drones to detect both shark activity and distressed swimmers. This is how we stay ahead of danger—and keep New Yorkers safe," Daughtry said.