A woman is seriously injured in a “shark attack” on New York’s popular Rockaway Beach after a predator bit her in the leg
A 50-year-old woman has been hospitalized after being bitten in the leg by what appeared to be a shark on a popular New York beach.
Police rushed to the crime scene on Rockaway Beach in the Queens borough of New York Monday night after one of the perpetrators reportedly targeted the woman.
The FDNY confirmed to that officers responded to a call at 5:52 p.m. at Beach 59th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard.
The victim’s condition was described as stable but serious and that she had a “serious injury” that was not life-threatening.
Police rushed to the crime scene on Rockaway Beach in the Queens borough of New York just before 6 p.m. Monday
The woman was reportedly pulled from the water by lifeguards, missing part of her leg, before being rushed to nearby Jamaica Hospital by first responders
The victim was described as suffering a “serious injury” that was not life-threatening
Beachgoers appeared to be clearing the shoreline after the horror attack, and pictures taken shortly after the incident showed it to be virtually empty when a helicopter flew overhead.
The victim was taken to Jamaica Hospital and police were at the scene while the investigation into the attack continued.
According to crime reporting app Citizen, police tourniqued the victim before taking him to the hospital.
According to the US Sun, she was reportedly rescued from the water by lifeguards and a large part of her leg was missing when she was towed away.
Footage showed the moment a helicopter flew into the beach, which was almost completely deserted after the horrific incident
A drone flies overhead after a woman appears to have been bitten by a shark
The attack is the latest in a string of incidents involving the predators in recent weeks as it was noted that America is the “world capital of shark attacks”.
According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), the country had 41 out of 57 confirmed cases worldwide last year, accounting for a shocking 72 percent of the global total in 2022.
On the east coast, a teenager was devastated by a shark during a trip to New York’s Fire Island on the July 4th bank holiday weekend.
The party hotspot was also the scene of six attacks in three weeks last year, while nearby Nantucket was forced to ban swimming in some areas after two sharks were spotted just offshore last month.
But while eastern coasts have seen an increase, Florida remains the shark capital of the world, recording 16 unprovoked, nonfatal shark bites last year.