Woman hospitalized after rare shark attack at New York beach: officials

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Shark attack in New York

A 50-year-old woman was bitten on the leg by a shark on Rockaway Beach in New York, according to the New York City Fire Department. (Video: Peter Gerber)

A major New York beach was shut down Tuesday following what officials deemed an unprecedented shark attack that left a woman hospitalized in critical condition. 

Sources told the New York Post that the woman lost "approximately 20 pounds of flesh" due to the gruesome bite. The outlet also obtained a photo showing a large chunk of flesh missing from her left thigh.

"We hope for a full recovery for this swimmer. Though this was a frightening event, we want to remind New Yorkers that shark attacks in Rockaway are extremely rare. We remain vigilant in monitoring the beach and always clear the water when a shark is spotted," the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation said in a statement to Fox News Tuesday morning. 

Rockaway Beach will remain closed to swimming and surfing Tuesday due to the recent shark activity, officials said. Parks Enforcement and the New York City Police Department will be patrolling the beach to keep swimmers out of the water, and the New York City Fire Department and NYPD will be doing aerial surveillance of the beach to monitor for sharks. 

Before Monday evening, NYC officials said there had been no reports of shark bites on Rockaway Beach in recent memory. At approximately 5:50 p.m., a female swimming at Beach 59th Street in Rockaway was bitten by a shark in the left leg. 

NEW YORK TEENAGER BITTEN BY SHARK WHILE SURFING OFF FIRE ISLAND

NYPD respond to Rockaway Beach after a woman was attacked by a shark in the early evening on Aug. 7, 2023, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Parks lifeguards removed the patron from the water and administered first aid. The woman was transported by EMS to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition, officials said.

As of Tuesday morning, officials said her condition is now serious/non-life threatening. 

While the waters remain clear at Rockaway so far Tuesday, there was a possible shark sighting on neighboring Long Island. Officials reported the possible shark sighting 10 yards out at Jones Beach State Park Tuesday. Swimming is currently prohibited in the Central Mall area of Jones Beach from East Bathhouse and West Bathhouse.

NYPD gather along Beach 59th Street after a woman was attacked by a shark in the early evening on Aug. 7, 2023, in Queens. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Following the Rockaway incident, lifeguards cleared all patrons from the water, and NYPD canvassed after the incident via helicopter, but did not observe any sharks.  

People enjoy the water at Rockaway Beach, Tuesday, July 19, 2022, in the Queens borough of New York. Authorities say a woman was critically injured there when a shark bit her on the leg Monday, Aug. 7, 2023 while she was swimming. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

The city's fire department previously confirmed to Fox News Digital that the woman, age 50, suffered a shark bite to the leg and was transported to Jamaica Hospital Monday evening. 

Officials said she may have been surfing when the attack took place, and she was unconscious from either blood loss or shock when first responders arrived on the scene, FOX 5 NY reported.

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Police were seen flying drones over Rockaway Beach, where the woman was bitten on the leg, in hopes of locating a shark off the coast. (Peter Gerber)

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Police were seen Monday night flying drones over the beach where the woman was bitten on the leg. NYC Parks are a part of a shark communication network with beaches all along the Atlantic coast, from the Hamptons to Sandy Hook, which contact each other with any abnormal conditions, including sharks in close to the shore and odd objects washing up. 

Fox News’ Jennifer Johnson contributed to this report.