Great Killer Shark Killed off the Waters of Amity

The great killer shark being blamed for two recent deaths in Amity has been caught and killed. Police Chief Brody says all Beaches will be re-opened for July 4^th and residents and guests a like should not be worried.

The shark was caught by fisherman one mile southwest of Amity. Mike Swenson the fishermen who caught the Shark will receive a $3,000 reward for his heroic actions. Once brought ashore, the shark was carefully inspected by marine biologist Matt Hooper from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

Upon inspection Hooper says the shark is a Nurse Shark. “Nurse Sharks are among the most brutal and dangerous of all sharks and have been responsible for hundreds of swimmers’ deaths along the east coast of the United States.” The Nurse Shark weighed in at 11ft long and 875lbs.

Amity authorities are saying that residents and guests should have no fears of participating in water sports this holiday weekend as there is no longer a threat. Police Chief Brody however did say, “Islanders and guests alike should not be alarmed by the presence of shark spotters from the Coast Guard, the Marine Patrol, the FBI, and numerous local municipal and county police agencies in the waters off our beaches. They are simply a safety precaution that we hope will put our visitors at ease.

Town officials are, “urging all residents to recreate at the beaches in order to encourage the participation of all our visitors in the wonderful water.” Law enforcement officials are urging vigilance on the part of all citizens although they do believe they can safely say that the danger of further shark attacks has probably passed.

People were on edge at the beach despite it being packed for the holiday weekend with many people both on the shore and in the water. When whistles blew and lifeguards told beach goers to evacuate the water, people frantically got out of the water to find out it was a false alarm.

Wayne Winston and Brad Kaplan both 12 years-old on Amity strapped a fake shark tail to their backs and started swimming towards the crowd of people in the water. Shark spotters acted quickly to surround the shark with riffles drawn to come and find out it was two kids. The children were turned over to their parents. Calm was restored to the beach and there were no injuries.

Any shark sightings should be reported to authorities at their toll-free shark hotline, 1-800-sharksee.

Amity Police shut down beaches for 24 hours

The Amity police department announced last night that they will indeed shut down the beaches to surfers and residents. This temporary close will last 24 hours to allow for the hunt of the shark.

Amity Fisherman Ben Quinn stated that they would catch the offender. To do this however he has asked Amity to pay him 10,000. “You get the head, the tail, the whole damn thing announced Quinn. Police Chief Martin Brody also announced that the will also dispatch deputies and have shark spotters on the beach.

Mayor Vuaghn has announced that the town is willing to pay $7,000 to Quinn with Mrs. Kintner agreeing to pay the remaining $3,0000 in order to capture the shark. Currently, Mrs. Kirtner has offered a $3,000 reward for the capture or killing of the shark that attacked and fatally injured her son.

Police received a report yesterday that a young girl had gone missing after going for a later night swim at South Beach Sunday night. Police later found the girl’s body washed up on the shore mangled, leaving police wondering what happened.

Police Chief Martin Brody says Amity residents and visitors are in no danger even though they are unaware of how the young girl died. Brody announced, “Though a shark attack had not be completely ruled out, we want to assure all residents and visitors on our fine island that they are in no danger.”

Christine W. Watson of Amity was last seen alive leaving a beach party with another teen identified as Christopher P. Hoggenbottam III, former resident of Amity. Witness said the two, who were heavily intoxicated and also may have been under the influence of drugs, decided to go for a late night swim entering the water at a remote section of the South Beach near the South Beach Shoal bell buoy.

Hoggenbottam notified police around 6 a.m. when Watson did not return. Police searched the beach and found Watson’s mangled body. Police reports stated that the body “had been severely mauled by an attacker of unknown origin.” The body has been transported to the coroner’s office for autopsy.

Less than a few hours went by when 10-year-old Alex B. Kintner died while swimming in the ocean around 2 p.m. today when suddenly it appears he was attacked by a shark. His body has not been recovered but the water was bloody and his raft had a large bite out of it.

Residents and Beach Goers Can Rest Easy As Shark Attack in the Seacoast Area Not Likely

With the recent shark attacks popping up in Amity Mass., Seacoast residents and visitors have nothing to fear. Although Sharks have been spotted off the coast of Seacoast beaches, researches have said that a shark attack is not likely to occur as one has not happened in 75 years.
According to Holly Bourbon, a researcher at the New England Aquarium, “There has been three recorded shark attacks in New England since 1936.” Bourbon also stated that throughout those 75 years there has been multiple shark spottings but due to the low number of attacks it’s very un-likely that a shark attack would happen now. She also stated that sharks have come very close to beaches and swimmers but these sharks have been harmless and researches have said deemed them to be “lost”.
Bourbon also stated that many sharks do call Seacoast waters home including the most popular Porbeagle. Bourbon also made it known that, “unlike the movies, Great White sharks usually stay to the south and don’t venture much past Cape Cod.”
According to an article by Will Courtney of the Newburyport Daily News, Maine does have a shark attack on record but New Hampshire and the seacoast area are shark attack free. Courtney also states that in an interview with shark expert John Mandelman, Mendelman said, “young Basking sharks are known to wander close to shore”. Bourbon agreed to this statement and said although Basking sharks do tend to come closer to shore they are seemingly harmless and sharks in general are more of a problem for divers who are deeper out in the ocean.
Residents and beach goers of the Seacoast area are at no greater fear of being attacked by a shark due to the recent attacks in Amity.