Swimmer Treated for Foot Bite at Jones Beach Amid Shark Surveillance Efforts
A swimmer at Jones Beach suffered a foot laceration after being bitten by unknown marine life, prompting a brief beach closure while officials continued shark monitoring with drones.
A swimmer at Jones Beach on Long Island was bitten on Friday, sustaining lacerations to the right foot, according to the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The injured person received treatment at Nassau County University Medical Center and was not identified publicly.
Beach officials halted swimming for about an hour after the incident, then resumed activities once no sharks or other dangerous marine life were observed in the area.
State authorities have not confirmed that a shark caused the bite, though recent shark sightings have led to intermittent closures at several New York beaches, including Rockaway Beach and Point Lookout.
New York has expanded its use of drone surveillance to monitor coastal waters for sharks, increasing the fleet to 46 camera-equipped drones, a move announced by Governor Kathy Hochul in May.
Shark attacks remain extremely rare in the United States, with only 25 unprovoked incidents reported last year, according to the International Shark Attack File.
Jones Beach was also the location of the most recent shark-related injury on a New York State beach in June 2025, when a 20-year-old woman sustained minor leg cuts, likely from a juvenile sand tiger shark.
