‘Shark attack’ leaves woman seriously injured after predator bit into her leg at popular Rockaway Beach in New York
A 50-year-old woman suffered a grisly leg injury after she was bitten by a shark at a popular New York beach.
Police rushed to the scene at Rockaway Beach, in the Queens neighborhood of New York City, Monday evening following reports the woman had been targeted by one of the predators.
The FDNY confirmed to DailyMail.com officers responded to a call at Beach 59th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard at 5:52pm.
The victim was described as being in a stable but serious condition, with a ‘major injury’ which is non-life threatening.
Police rushed to the scene at Rockaway Beach, in the Queens neighborhood of New York City, shortly before 6pm Monday
The woman was reportedly hauled from the water by lifeguards with part of her leg missing, before she was taken to nearby Jamaica Hospital by first responders
The victim’s was described as suffering a ‘major injury’ that was non-life threatening
Beachgoers cleared the coastline after the horror attack, and images shortly after the incident saw it empty as a helicopter roamed above.
The victim was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, and law enforcement were at the scene as an investigation into the attack continues.
According to the crime reporting app Citizen, police applied a tourniquet to the victim before she was rushed to hospital.
She was reportedly rescued from the water by lifeguards and had a large part of her leg missing when she was hauled away.
Footage captured the moment a helicopter flew into the beach, which was almost completely deserted after the horror incident
A drone flies overhead after a woman suffered grisly injuries when she was bitten by a shark on Rockaway Beach
Members of the NYPD’s Technical Assistance Response Unit (TARU) were seen flying a drone over the beach as part of the investigation
In a statement to DailyMail.com, the New York City Parks and Recreation Department, which oversees the city’s beaches, said: ‘We hope for a full recovery for this swimmer.
‘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,’ adding that the beach’s opening would be delayed until 11am Tuesday.
The authority added that it was the first shark attack at Rockaway Beach in recent memory, and helicopter canvassing of the water where the woman was bitten failed to locate any sharks.
A member of the NYPD’s Technical Assistance Response Unit (TARU) was seen flying a drone over the beach as part of the investigation.
Sources told the New York Post the department and the FDNY planned to deploy the gadgets on the coastline Tuesday to continue the search.
Law enforcement continued scouring
The attack is the latest of a string of incidents involving the predators in recent weeks, as it was found that America is the ‘shark attack capital of the world’.
Last year, the country saw 41 of 57 confirmed cases worldwide, which is a shocking 72 percent of the world’s total for 2022, according to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF).
On the East Coast, a teenager was savaged by a shark over the Fourth of July holiday weekend during a trip to New York’s Fire Island.
The party hotspot was also the site of six attacks in a three week span last year, while nearby Nantucket has been forced to ban swimming in some areas after two sharks were spotted just off the shore last month.
But while coastlines on the east have seen a surge, Florida remains the shark capital of the world, and registered 16 unprovoked, nonlethal shark bites last year.
