This fish — not a shark — attacked a swimmer’s leg on a New Jersey beach

🏊‍♀️ A man swimming off Barnegat Light was bit and injured by a sea creature

🏊‍♀️ Was it a shark or something else?

🏊‍♀️ The swimmer is expected to be okay

BARNEGAT LIGHT — Was it a shark or something else that bit a man while he was swimming in the waters off Ocean County over the weekend?

On Saturday, June 21, at approximately 11:39 a.m., the Long Beach Township Police Department responded to the beachfront in Barnegat Light to assist Barnegat Light Beach Patrol with an injured swimmer, according to the police.

The man, who was swimming near the 9th Street beach, came out with a minor leg injury.

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According to the Barnegat Light First Aid Squad, the injury appears to be consistent with that of a sword-like fish, called a needlefish, and not a shark.

The man was taken to Southern Ocean Medical Center for treatment. He is expected to be OK.

Needlefish, which can grow to about two feet long, have a long, narrow body with elongated jaws and sharp teeth, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

They are often found in coastal waters, bays, and estuaries. Needlefish spend a lot of time near the water’s surface, and often jump out of the water chasing small fish.
This action can be dangerous to swimmers because they can be stabbed with rapid force by the needlefish’s sharp beak at high rate of speeds.

According to the National Library of Medicine, injuries inflicted by needlefish resemble stab wounds, resulting from the rapid and forceful jumping of the jaws. Needlefish impalement on the neck and face is often fatal compared to other body areas or extremities.

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