NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Multiple shark sightings on Thursday closed down stretches of Rockaway Beach in Queens to protect swimmers trying to cool off from the persistent heat, city officials confirmed.
The first shark sighting was near Beach 86th Street at 1:20 p.m., and city officials said that the beach was closed to swimmers for a mile in each direction, spanning Beach 64th Street to Beach 104th Street. It reopened an hour later.
Then, at 2:45 p.m., a second shark was spotted by Beach 61st Street. The waters were closed to swimming from Beach 57th Street to Beach 81st Street, city officials said.
1010 WINS/WCBS 880 reporter Mack Rosenberg confirmed that there was a third sighting before 4 p.m.
NYPD drones captured video of a shark near Beach 84th Street, Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said. He posted video of the shark swimming through the waters close to shore, its dorsal fin popping above the surf on occasion.
“Our drones will continue to monitor the waters for any other shark sightings or swimmers in need,” Daughtry wrote. “Our goal is to keep the public safe and with new and improving drone technology we are able to do that.”
The NYPD’s Technical Assistance Response Team is already using drones every day to monitor swimmers and help avoid drownings, but they were on shark watch Thursday.
Protocol for a shark sighting is to close the beach for a mile in each direction for one hour.