New York City beach closed after woman suffers shark bite

New York City closed its popular Rockaway Beach on Tuesday after a 50-year-old woman was bitten by a shark Monday evening, officials said.

The woman was swimming near Beach 59th Street when a shark bit her leg, New York City Parks officials said.

Lifeguards took the woman out of the water and gave her first aid before she was taken to the hospital.

Officials said she is in critical but stable condition, with a deep cut in her thigh.

The incident marks the first confirmed shark bite on Rockaway Beach in recent memory, the parks department said.

"We hope for a full recovery for this swimmer," the parks department said in a statement. "Though this was a frightening event, we want to remind New Yorkers that shark bites in Rockaway are extremely rare."

The state of New York has seen a spate of human encounters with sharks off its Long Island beaches this summer. Experts say more sharks are swimming closer to the shore due to warming waters from climate change and a recent law in New York protecting sharks' primary food source, bunker fish.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has been sending more drones to local officials to scan for sharks near the shore so lifeguards can take precautions if needed.

After the shark bite on Monday, helicopters searched the waters for sharks but did not find any, the parks department said. New York City's fire and police departments will continue to search the waters, and the beach will remain closed to both surfers and swimmers on Tuesday.

Experts say shark attacks are extremely infrequent. According to the International Shark Attack File, New York state had only 8 unprovoked bites in 2022, and none proved fatal.