Home Care In Island Heights, NJ

A few witnesses at Island Beach State Park this week were given a grim reminder of how violent Nature can be, when they observed several sharks maul a dolphin within yards of the beach, turning the sea deep red.

Pete Halecky of Seaside Heights was surf fishing on Thursday, July 31, with his wife near the Judge's Shack. It had been a "beautiful morning," one where they observed a large pod of about 50 dolphins swimming south.

Then, the scene changed. Around midday he saw some splashing on the surface just past the waves. Now, it appeared that one of the dolphins was cornered by a pack of sharks.

Halecky, a retired pharmacist who is now a real estate agent, said the dolphin appeared to already have at least one shark bite when he began filming. What happened next, when he turned he camera on, happened very quickly. Three or four sharks attacked the dolphin at once, taking it under the water and out of sight.

"The water got really red. They destroyed it in a minute," Halecky said, who captured the incident on video and posted it to his Instagram account @Fishingwith_Pete.

Halecky said park rangers showed up at the same time to inform beachgoers that the park would be closing at 2 p.m. due to the impending storms Thursday afternoon and evening. He said there was at least one more witness on the beach as well.

A spokesperson for the state Department of Environmental Protection confirmed that the state Park Service was aware of the incident and that it occurred two miles from the swimming beaches.

The DEP said most reports of shark sightings at the park are found to actually be dolphins. Out of an abundance of caution, all reported shark sightings are immediately investigated by lifeguards using a jet ski or boat.

Shark expert John Chisholm, an adjunct scientist with the New England Aquarium, studied Halecky's video and said they were dusky sharks, a highly migratory species of shark that is found throughout the world's tropical and temperate waters.

Chisholm said they've observed the aggressive feeding tactics of the dusky in Nantucket and Cape Cod. He said a single dusky usually attacks the prey first. Then, after the initial wound, several more will converge on the prey.

According to the Florida Museum, the dusky is comfortable in shallow inshore waters and out to the outer continental shelf. Its range includes as far north as Nova Scotia, the Gulf and south to Brazil. It is also found on the California coast, Australia, Madagascar and the Mediterranean Sea.

Dusky are a prohibited species protected from fishing in the United States.

They are potentially dangerous due to their large size — they can grow to 11 feet — and their presence in shallow coastal waters, but they have been implicated in few interactions with humans.

"It's important for people to remember that they're sharing the water with sharks. We may be using it for personal recreation, but it is and remains a wild place," Chisholm said. "Shark attacks remain rare, but you can help yourself by not swimming in bait or near seals; don't make a lot of commotion in the water because sharks are drawn to that. It's best to swim with others, and avoid dawn and dusk."

Jersey Shore shark attacks

The last shark bite to a human in New Jersey occurred May 21, 2023, at Stone Harbor. A teenage girl was bit on the left foot and calf while surfing. The species of shark is unknown. The teenager received stitches to close the lacerations on her foot.

In June, a surfer was injured at Barnegat Light by what may have been a bite or stab from a needlefish, according to the lifeguards on duty that day.

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him at [email protected].

Seaside Heights officials are in the final planning stages before placing out to bid a project that will see the reconstruction of a bath house on the boardwalk that was destroyed in Superstorm Sandy more than a decade ago.

The borough received $1.6 million in federal funds to reconstruct a bath house at Hiering Avenue, where one had historically existed, but had faced opposition from several owners of condominiums at 1515 Ocean Terrace. The bath house’s location before the storm was located at 1521 Ocean Terrace – the lot to the north – and it will be rebuilt in the borough-owned lot there, which has sat vacant ever since.

Despite intentions to rebuild the bath house, which will contain restrooms and hot showers intended to be used by visitors who wish to shower after spending a day at the beach, the condominium owners opposed the reconstruction outright. They first objected to a second floor which would have contained a handicap-accessible viewing platform that would have enabled guests to see the ocean, and later told borough officials they felt the entire facility would bring too many visitors to what they viewed as “their” beach. Further, several residents even requested the borough decline to sell beach badges at the bathhouse since they did not want to walk around a queue of visitors in line to purchase them.

Borough Administrator Christopher Vaz this week said, short of canceling the project altogether, officials made numerous concessions to the condominium owners in order to make the facility more palatable. The condominium’s association had hired an attorney to advocate against the reconstruction. That effort failed, however Vaz said the second floor of the building was removed from plans and other changes were made in response to the complaints.

“We got rid of the second floor, and we moved the physical building as far west toward Ocean Terrace as we possibly could,” he said. “We had to re-think the pedestrian ramp that usually comes off the boardwalk and goes straight down. This will come out flat to a point, and then you walk in the building, and then go down. We were in constant dialogue with 1515 Ocean Terrace.”

The repositioning will allow a small deck area to be constructed so those waiting in line would not have to queue on the boardwalk along with their belongings.

Renderings of the facility were not immediately available since they arrived literally minutes before a borough council meeting began last week. At the meeting, the borough council appropriated $300,000 toward the cost of the construction of the bath house, though the full cost will ultimately be funded by the federal grant. The money appropriated by the council would bridge any potential gaps between the time construction begins and when the funding is in-hand.

“The money that is being appropriated is simply to give us a little wiggle room, because we know what the grant is – $1.6 million – and we don’t want to have to delay moving forward,” said Vaz.

Vaz said the borough council is expected to solicit bids for the construction of the bathhouse and ramp in the near future. Construction will begin after a low bid is accepted and a contract is awarded by the council, and pre-construction meetings are held to set forth deadlines and other directives for the project. The bathhouse should be operational for the 2026 summer season.

As Hurricane Erin heads north and grows, the Jersey Shore will see coastal flooding, high surf, life-threatening rip currents and more.

Hurricane Erin is growing in size and heading north. It will be closest to New Jersey on Thursday, churning up winds of up to 50 mph, life-threatening rip currents, widespread coastal flooding and beach erosion.

A separate storm system Wednesday is bringing rain across the Garden State. As it interacts with Erin, it could cause isolated flash flooding, National Weather Service forecasters said.

"Significant coastal hazards" are anticipated starting Wednesday through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Many Jersey Shore beaches have already closed to swimming due to life-threatening rip currents this week.

"This is no time to be complacent," Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday. "I would just say to you flat out, don't go in the water."

The closed beaches include:

The hurricane will be closest to New Jersey on Thursday. "While the center of the storm will pass about 350-450 miles south and east of our area, it will be rapidly expanding in size with its tropical storm force wind field reaching just offshore of our coasts," the National Weather Service said. "Our region is expected to see gusty winds, minor to moderate tidal flooding, high surf, and life threatening rip currents."

A High Surf Advisory and High Rip Current Risk Statement are in effect for all Jersey Shore beaches through Friday. Also, a Wind Advisory is in effect for all coastal zones from Ocean County south.

Erin is also expected to cause coastal flooding, inundating roads and some structures near the ocean, back bays and tidal waterways. Significant beach erosion is also possible.

"Please, please, please take this seriously," Murphy urged. "Particularly push back on complacency, on the human nature of 'gosh, it's beautiful outside. Let's sneak a quick dip in the water.' This is not the week to do that."

Following a dramatic rescue earlier this week in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, local officials are announcing they will be strictly enforcing after-hours beach time.

Six individuals were caught in a rip current at Webster Avenue Beach about 100 yards offshore, according to the Jersey Shore Fire Response.

The beach did not have lifeguards on duty at the time of the incident.

The Seaside Heights Fire Department deployed a rescuer with a jet ski, successfully bringing the victims back to shore while a seventh person was taken to the hospital and tragically pronounced dead.

Mayor Anthony Vaz clarified to Fox News Digital that they will not be closing the beaches — but the ocean.

“Our focus is the ocean. We don’t want anybody in the ocean,” said Vaz.

The beach will continue to be closed between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., with the possibility of an even earlier time period if the water is deemed too dangerous.

Seaside Heights will be adding more law enforcement to enforce the rule, it also said.

“They’ll be there the rest of the season, chasing people out of the water at five o’clock,” said Vaz.

“If [people] refuse to get out, we’ll [give them a summons]. And if they get really arrogant — I hope not — they’ll be arrested,” he said.

Other beaches across the country have been implementing similar plans due to safety concerns.

In December, Virginia Beach officials ruled that lifeguards would remain on their stands longer, extending through the second weekend of September, following three deaths last fall, according to local outlet 13 News Now.

In Escambia County, Florida, beach rules indicate there should be no swimming or wading in the Gulf of America during double red flag conditions.

The rule states that violators could be punished with a fine of under $500 or by imprisonment in the county jail (not to exceed 60 days) or both, according to its government site.

It also states that any person rescued in the Gulf of America will be banned from returning for 24 hours.

There were 49 rip current deaths so far this year as of Monday and that number now stands at 52, according to the National Weather Service.

Tom Gill, United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) vice president, told Fox News Digital that it’s important for visitors to “only swim when lifeguards are on duty.”

“One reason beaches set swimming hours is to provide specific times when swimmers will be protected by lifeguards on duty,” said Gill.

“The USLA has determined the chance of a fatal drowning on a guarded beach is 1 in 18 million,” he said.

“Besides the safety aspect, the cost and resources required to initiate a full drowning response after hours also factor into the decision-making.”

Although beaches have yet to close early, the Seaside Heights mayor took some flack on social media for his decision to close them on rough water days.

But on Thursday, he received a big boost of legal support from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

“People need to understand what the water is and how to respect it,” said Connie Gonzalez, a grandmother from South Plainfield visiting Seaside Heights with her grandchildren.

“My granddaughter was standing up to her ankles wave came and took her out. She’s like that’s it I’m done,” said Gonzalez.

Following Monday’s drowning, Seaside Heights Mayor Tony Vaz says the only complaints of shutting beaches early on rough days after lifeguards leave have been on Facebook.

“Yes, they made a mistake by going in the water but let them drown? How can you say that,” said Mayor Vaz.

In a statement to News 12, a spokesperson for the New Jersey DEP says towns “may implement reasonable requirements related to the use of public beaches in the interest of public safety, which, depending on the circumstances, may include the temporary closing, limiting or restricting access on the municipal oceanfront beach area.”

Whenever towns start talking about closing down beaches, advocacy groups like the New Jersey Coastal Alliance, take notice to make sure the public’s rights to access water aren’t violated.

“How’s it going to affect fishermen? How’s it going to affect people who want to walk on the beach?” said Ross Kushner.

“You want to ensure some degree of public safety but you don’t want to take away what is a right to some people,” said Kushner.

“Here, we get to the beach in less than two minutes but sometimes it’s not enough time,” said Tim Farrell, assistant chief of the Seaside Heights Fire Department.

“Don’t be on the beach after the lifeguards are on,” she said.

Seaside Heights has yet to close the beaches before the usual time of 7 p.m. but they expect that will change next week, when dangerous rip currents and large waves are expected to impact Jersey beaches from Tropical Storm Erin.