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Lifeguard possibly bitten by shark
A lifeguard at Jones Beach State Park said he saw what he believes was a shark fin in the water. Then he suffered a 1-inch laceration on his calf.
WANTAGH, N.Y. - Just days after new shark alert protocols were put into place on Long Island, officials are trying to determine if a shark bit a lifeguard at Jones Beach in Nassau County on Monday.
State parks spokesperson George Gorman said park police and staff were "continuously monitoring the waterways" after a lifeguard in the water felt something biting his calf. The lifeguard suffered a one-inch laceration, which could be a shark bite.
Drones were launched to search for sharks but none were seen.
An EMT treated the lifeguard on the beach. He then went to a hospital and is expected to be OK, officials said.
Lifeguards reported seeing a fin in the water around 11 a.m., officials said.
"Our lifeguards are scanning the waters, we have the ability of drones to scan the waters, we're on the watch, have been on the watch," Gorman said, adding that state park police were also monitoring the water.
Marine experts say that schools of bunker fish often draw sharks closer to the shore.
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From the Archive: Sharks near Queens [November 2020]
This drone video shows sharks chasing a massive school of bunker fish near a beach in the Rockaways. (Video: The Rockaway Times via Storyful)