08/07/2023 Tatyana Koltunyuk 50 yr Rockaway Beach Queens New York

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QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) — A woman was injured after an apparent shark attack in Queens on Monday, according to authorities.

A call came in reporting a major injury near Beach 59th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard around 6 p.m. The woman, 50, was taken to the hospital after NYPD officers applied a tourniquet and is in serious but stable with a shark bite to the leg, according to officials.

Sources told PIX11 News that the woman had a large bite on her upper left leg.

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A green beach tent and beach chair could be seen on the beach for hours after the incident. A sign posted at the beach said lifeguards are staffed at the beach from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Members of the NYPD’s TARU unit responded to the Beach to fly two drones. The cameras on the drones searched the water for any signs of sharks nearby.

PIX11 News reached out to the NYC Parks Department who said:

We hope for a full recovery for this swimmer. Though this was a frightening event, we want to remind New Yorkers that shark bites in Rockaway are extremely rare. We remain vigilant in monitoring the beach and always clear the water when a shark is spotted…Prior to today, we have no reports of shark bites on Rockaway Beach in recent memory.

In the city, NOAA Fisheries monitors all marine species and posts educational information on their website. NYS DEC sets the regulations for recreational and commercial fishing, including sharks.

While Parks is not the primary agency responsible for monitoring sharks, both lifeguards and beachgoers report shark sightings. Our lifeguards then work to verify the sighting and ask for a flyover by NYPD if warranted. If appropriate, the lifeguards will whistle people into shallower water, or in extreme cases, whistle people out of the water. This is usually fairly localized.

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