New York parks officials announced the closure of a beach a day after a shark bit a woman, who remains hospitalized.
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation explained that the beach would be closed for “swimming & surfing” on Tuesday, adding that the NYC police and fire departments would be using surveillance to check for additional sharks, according to a post on Twitter.
“As a safety precaution, Rockaway Beach will be closed to swimming & surfing today, August 8, due to recent shark activity,” officials from the NYC parks department wrote in the post.
As a safety precaution, Rockaway Beach will be closed to swimming & surfing today, August 8, due to recent shark activity. Parks Enforcement & NYPD will be on patrol to keep swimmers out of the water. FDNY & NYPD will be doing aerial surveillance to monitor for sharks.
— NYC Parks (@NYCParks) August 8, 2023
“Park Enforcement & NYPD will be on patrol to keep swimmers out of the water,” the department added. “FDNY & NYPD will be doing aerial surveillance to monitor for sharks.”
On Monday evening, a 50-year-old woman suffered an injury to her leg after being bitten by a shark while swimming near Beach 59th St shortly before 6:00 p.m., according to NYC parks officials, the New York Post reported. (RELATED: 50 Sharks Shut Down Long Island Beach After Teens Bitten)
Lifeguards pulled the woman out of the water and provided her with first aid until first responders could arrive. A tourniquet was applied to the woman, who was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, officials said.
“Though this was a frightening event, we want to remind New Yorkers that shark bites in Rockaway are extremely rare,” parks officials said in a statement, according to the outlet. “We remain vigilant in monitoring the beach and always clear the water when a shark is spotted.”
Despite coming across as “deceivingly ferocious,” sand tiger sharks are described as being “docile” and “non-aggressive,” only attacking humans “when bothered first,” according to National Geographic.
The Daily Caller reached out to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation for a comment but did not receive a response.