Lifeguards raced to get swimmers out of the water on a long stretch of Rockaway Beach Thursday afternoon after NYPD drones detected sharks at three locations in the Atlantic Ocean.
Red flags went up from Beach 58th Street in Arverne to Beach 104th Street in Rockaway Park, meaning the beaches were temporarily closed to swimmers for the rest of the afternoon.
“Our drones will continue to monitor the waters for any other shark sightings of swimmers in distress,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry posted on X. “Our goal is to keep the public safe and with new and improving drone technology we are able to do that.”
The first shark was sighted off Beach 86th Street just before 1:30 p.m., a second shark sighting occurred off Beach 61st soon afterward, followed by a third shark sighting off Beach 81st Street just before 4 p.m.
There were no injuries reported, police said.
Be Advised! Our drones have sighted a shark at Rockaway Beach. Beach will be closed from Beach 58th to Beach 81st. Our drones will continue to monitor the waters for any other shark sightings or swimmers in distress. Our goal is to keep the public safe and with new and improving… pic.twitter.com/azGxyKdcqH
— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) July 11, 2024
