By Guillermo Molero
Sharks are suspected to have bitten five people swimming off Long Island over the extended Fourth of July weekend as tourists and locals celebrated the holiday beachside.
The encounters, none of which were fatal, occurred on Monday and Tuesday in waters, including those off Robert Moses, Quogue, and Fire Island beaches.
"We did have a season last year where we had six swimmers bitten from sharks, so this has turned into a bit of a concern," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told WABC.
New York reported the most unprovoked shark bites in the US last year after Florida, with eight total attacks, according to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File. None of those attacks were fatal.
Two 15-year-olds were attacked on Monday, with a girl suffering an apparent shark bite in the waters of Robert Moses Beach and boy bitten on the foot while he was surfing off Kismet Beach a few hours later. Both were treated for their injuries and were said to be recovering Monday night, according to NBC News.
"In response to the shark encounters as well as incidents reported in other police jurisdictions this week, the Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau and Aviation Section is conducting increased patrols at our beaches," Suffolk County Police said on its Facebook page. "The SCPD is also utilising drones for a birds-eye view on the local waterways."
On Tuesday, a 47-year-old man swimming in chest-deep water off Quogue Village Beach suffered a bite to his right knee from a "large marine animal" likely to have been a shark of unknown species, according to a local police statement.
A 49-year-old man later reported having his hand bitten while swimming off Fire Island Pines, and a woman believed to be about 50 was bit off Sailors Haven Beach, NBC reported citing an official from the National Park Service.