Why did this happen?

Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.</s>WELLFLEET, Mass. — A man boogie-boarding off a Cape Cod beach was attacked by a shark Saturday and died later at a hospital, becoming the state’s first shark attack fatality in more than 80 years.

The 26-year-old man from Revere succumbed to his injuries after the attack in the waters off Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet at around noon, police Lt. Michael Hurley said.

Lifesaving measures were attempted on the beach before the man was taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, where he was pronounced dead, State Police spokesman David Procopio said. The beach was closed to swimming.

The attack is the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts since 1936, and the second shark attack this season. A 61-year-old New York man was severely injured Aug. 15 after fighting off a shark near Truro, about 4 miles north of Saturday’s attack. He’s recovering in a Boston hospital.

“Today is just keeping everyone out of water,” Hurley said. “There’ll be a determination later about what the town wants to do with the beaches going forward.”

Beachgoers said the Wellfleet beach is popular with surfers, and with sunny skies and high temperatures Saturday it was busy, even though the summer season is over and lifeguards are no longer on watch.

Joe Booth, a local fisherman and surfer, said he was on shore when he saw the man and his friend boogie-boarding when the attack happened.

He said he saw the man aggressively kick something behind him and a flicker of a tail from the water. He realized what was happening when the friend came ashore dragging his injured companion.

“I was that guy on the beach screaming, ‘Shark, shark!’” Booth said. “It was like right out of that movie ‘Jaws.’ This has turned into Amity Island real quick out here.”

Booth said people on the beach attempted to make a tourniquet while others frantically called 911.

There have been frequent shark sightings this summer along the outer Cape. The National Park Service, which manages many of the beaches where sharks tend to congregate, said it closed beaches for at least an hour about 25 times this year — more than double the annual average.

A Cape Cod politician said officials who did not take more aggressive action against sharks bore some responsibility for the fatal attack. Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Beaty said he had warned something like this could happen.

“It is my personal belief that the responsibility for this horrible shark attack rests squarely upon the shoulders of the aforementioned officials for their utter lack of attention and inaction regarding the growing shark problem on Cape Cod of the last few years,” he said.

Susan Haigh is an Associated Press writer.</s>CAPE COD, Mass. — A swimmer at a Cape Cod beach died Saturday in what experts believe is the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts in more than 80 years.

The man was bitten around noon ET by what is believed to be a shark at Newcomb Hollow Beach, Wellfleet police said. Witnesses told responding officers that the victim and another man were boogie boarding 30 yards off the beach when the incident occurred.

The injured swimmer — identified as 26-year-old Arthur Medici of Revere, Massachusetts — was given first aid, including CPR, but died at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis. His name was released by Cape and Islands Assistant District Attorney Tara Miltimore.

Chris Hartsgrove, acting deputy chief of Cape Cod National Seashore, said the injuries appeared to be from a shark. The official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner.

Shark sightings have been increasing in the area as the gray seal population has increased.

A 61-year-old man suffered puncture wounds in a Cape Cod shark attack last month. The incident occurred in Truro within the boundary of Cape Cod National Seashore. The man was standing about 30 yards offshore when he was bitten.

The last fatal shark attack in Massachusetts was in 1936, according to the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Gavin Naylor, the director of the program, told CNN that such attacks are “very rare” and that “shark attacks in the summer are a direct consequence of more people and more animals in the water.”

Naylor advised people not to go into the water alone or at dawn or dusk. He also said the heavy presence of seals and quickly moving or jumping throngs of fish may signal the presence of a shark.

Hartsgrove said officials have previously put out warning signs and brochures.</s>NEW YORK– A swimmer at a Cape Cod beach died Saturday in what experts believe is the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts in more than 80 years.

The incident occurred around noon ET at Newcomb Hollow Beach, Wellfleet police said.

The unidentified swimmer, a man in his mid-20s, was given first aid, including CPR, but died at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis.

Chris Hartsgrove, acting deputy chief of Cape Cod National Seashore, said the injuries appeared to be from a shark. The official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner.

Shark sightings have been increasing in the area as the gray seal population has increased.

A 61-year-old man suffered puncture wounds in a Cape Cod shark attack last month. The incident occurred in Truro within the boundary of Cape Cod National Seashore. The man was standing about 30 yards offshore when he was bitten.

The last fatal shark attack in Massachusetts was in 1936, according to the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Gavin Naylor, the director of the program, told CNN that such attacks are “very rare” and that “shark attacks in the summer are a direct consequence of more people and more animals in the water.”

Naylor advised people not to go into the water alone or at dawn or dusk. He also said the heavy presence of seals and quickly moving or jumping throngs of fish may signal the presence of a shark.

Hartsgrove said officials have previously put out warning signs and brochures.</s>A 26-year-old has died in hospital after being bitten by a shark in water off Cape Cod.

A 26-year-old has died in hospital after being bitten by a shark in water off Cape Cod.

The man, identified by Cape and Islands Assistant District Attorney Tara Miltimore as Arthur Medici of Revere, Massachusetts as attacked around noon on Saturday off Newcomb Hollow Beach, police said.

He is the state’s first shark attack fatality in more than 80 years.

Joe Booth, a local fisherman and surfer, said he was on shore when he saw the man and his friend boogie boarding when the attack happened.

He said he saw the man aggressively kick something behind him and a flicker of a tail from the water.

He realised what was happening when the friend came ashore dragging his injured friend.

“I was that guy on the beach screaming, ‘Shark, shark!” Mr Booth said.

“It was like right out of that movie Jaws. This has turned into Amity Island real quick out here.”

He said others on the beach attempted to make a tourniquet while others frantically called the emergency services.

Hayley Williamson, a Cape Cod resident and former lifeguard who was on the beach at the time, was in disbelief after the man was rushed into an ambulance.

“We’ve been surfing all morning right here and they were just further down,” she said of the two boogie boarders. “Right spot, wrong time, I guess.”

Life-saving measures were attempted on the beach before the man was taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, where he was pronounced dead, State Police spokesman David Procopio said.

It was the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts since 1936, and the second shark attack this season.

A 61-year-old New York man was severely injured on August 15 after fighting off a shark off Truro, about four miles north of Saturday’s attack.

A Cape Cod politician said officials who did not take more aggressive action against sharks bore some responsibility for the fatal attack.

Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Beaty said he had warned something like this could happen and urged measures to reduce the number of white sharks.

“It is my personal belief that the responsibility for this horrible shark attack rests squarely upon the shoulders of the aforementioned officials for their utter lack of attention and inaction regarding the growing shark problem on Cape Cod of the last few years,” he said.</s>A man was bitten by a shark Saturday in the water off a Cape Cod beach and died later at a hospital, becoming the state’s first shark attack fatality in more than 80 years.

READ MORE: Jaw-dropping great white shark encounter with police: ‘Look at the size of this thing!’

The man, identified by Cape and Islands Assistant District Attorney Tara Miltimore as 26-year-old Arthur Medici of Revere, was attacked around noon off Newcomb Hollow Beach, police said.

Joe Booth, a local fisherman and surfer, said he was on shore when he saw the man and his friend boogie boarding when the attack happened.

He said he saw the man aggressively kick something behind him and a flicker of a tail from the water. He realized what was happening when the friend came ashore dragging his injured friend.

“I was that guy on the beach screaming, ’Shark, shark!” Booth said. “It was like right out of that movie ‘Jaws.’ This has turned into Amity Island real quick out here.”

Booth said others on the beach attempted to make a tourniquet while others frantically called 911.

Hayley Williamson, a Cape Cod resident and former lifeguard who was on the beach at the time, was in disbelief after the man was rushed into an ambulance.

READ MORE: New Brunswick couple recounts ‘terrifying’ close encounter with great white shark

“We’ve been surfing all morning right here and they were just further down,” she said of the two boogie boarders. “Right spot, wrong time, I guess.”

Life-saving measures were attempted on the beach before the man was taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, where he was pronounced dead, State Police spokesman David Procopio said. The beach on the side of the cape facing the Atlantic Ocean has been closed to swimming.

The family of the victim was notified of the death but his name was not released, Procopio said.

It was the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts since 1936, and the second shark attack this season.

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A 61-year-old New York man was severely injured Aug. 15 after fighting off a shark off Truro, about 4 miles north of Saturday’s attack. He’s currently recovering in a Boston hospital.

“Today is just keeping everyone out of water,” Wellfleet Police Lt. Michael Hurley said. “There’ll be a determination later about what the town wants to do with the beaches going forward.”

Beachgoers said the Wellfleet beach is popular with surfers, and with sunny skies and warm temperatures Saturday it was busy, even though the summer season was over and lifeguards were no longer on watch.

READ MORE: Cape Cod shark attack sends man to hospital with bite injuries

There have been frequent shark sightings this summer along the outer Cape, often leading to beach closings. The National Park Service, which manages many of the beaches, said it had closed beaches for at least an hour about 25 times by the end of August this year — more than double the annual average.

A Cape Cod politician said officials who did not take more aggressive action against sharks bore some responsibility for the fatal attack. Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Beaty said he had warned something like this could happen and urged measures to reduce the number of white sharks.

“It is my personal belief that the responsibility for this horrible shark attack rests squarely upon the shoulders of the aforementioned officials for their utter lack of attention and inaction regarding the growing shark problem on Cape Cod of the last few years,” he said.

The state’s last shark attack fatality was on July 25, 1936, when 16-year-old Joseph Troy Jr. was bitten in waters off Mattapoisett.

Troy, of Boston’s Dorchester neighbourhood, was visiting an uncle and was swimming about 50 feet offshore when the shark attacked.</s>(Reuters) - A man died on Saturday in what local police called a possible shark attack at Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, a town on Cape Cod that draws crowds of tourists.

The victim, who was identified only as a man in his 20s, died from injuries at Cape Cod Hospital after rescuers pulled him from the water and performed emergency first aid including CPR, the Wellfleet Police Department said in a statement.

The incident occurred shortly after 12 p.m. EDT on Saturday. The local district attorney’s office and the Massachusetts State Police were investigating.

If confirmed as a shark attack, it would be the first death caused by a shark in Massachusetts since 1936, according to sharkattackdata.com, an online database.

In August, a New York man was bitten by a shark at another Cape Cod beach but survived the encounter, according to media reports.</s>PROVINCETOWN, Mass. (AP)  Authorities in Massachusetts have closed two Cape Cod beaches following shark sightings.

According to the Cape Cod National Seashore, a shark was seen in the waters off Race Point Beach in Provincetown Thursday afternoon. Video shows the shark feeding on a seal near the shore.

Meadow Beach in Truro was closed earlier in the day when several sharks were spotted in the water.

The closures came a day after a 61-year-old man was bitten at Long Nook Beach in Truro. The man was taken to a hospital with puncture wounds to his torso and legs.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, an organization that studies sharks, says shark encounters in which people are injured are as “terrifying as they are rare.”

Massachusetts” last shark attack fatality was in 1936.</s>A man boogie boarding off a Cape Cod beach was attacked by a shark on Saturday and died later at a hospital, becoming the state’s first shark attack fatality in more than 80 years.

WELLFLEET, Mass. — A man boogie boarding off a Cape Cod beach was attacked by a shark on Saturday and died later at a hospital, becoming the state’s first shark attack fatality in more than 80 years.

Wellfleet Police Lt. Michael Hurley said the man, who was in his mid-20s, succumbed to his injuries following the attack in the waters off Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet at around noon.

The man was pronounced dead at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis. The beach has been closed to swimming.

The attack is the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts since 1936, and the second shark attack this season.

A 61-year-old New York man was severely injured Aug. 15 after fighting off a shark off Truro, about 4 miles north of Saturday’s attack. He’s currently recovering in a Boston hospital.

“Today is just keeping everyone out of water,” Hurley said. “There’ll be a determination later about what the town wants to do with the beaches going forward.”

Beachgoers said the Wellfleet beach is popular with surfers, and with sunny skies and warm temperatures Saturday it was busy, even though the summer season was over and lifeguards were no longer on watch.

Joe Booth, a local fisherman and surfer, said he was on shore when he saw the man and his friend boogie boarding when the attack happened.

He said he saw the man kick aggressively kick something behind him and a flicker of a tail from the water. He realized what was happening when the friend came ashore dragging his injured friend.

“I was that guy on the beach screaming, ‘Shark, shark!” Booth said. “It was like right out of that movie Jaws. This has turned into Amity Island real quick out here.”

Booth said others on the beach attempted to make a tourniquet while others frantically called 911.

Hayley Williamson, a Cape Cod resident and former lifeguard who was on the beach at the time, was in disbelief after the man, who police have not yet identified was rushed in an ambulance.

“We’ve been surfing all morning right here and they were just further down,” she said of the two boogie boarders. “Right spot, wrong time, I guess.”

The state’s last shark attack fatality was on July 25, 1936, when 16-year-old Joseph Troy Jr. was bitten in waters off Mattapoisett.

Troy, of Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, was visiting an uncle and was swimming about 50 feet offshore when the shark attacked.</s>Police say a man has died after being attacked by a shark off Cape Cod in Massachusetts.Wellfleet Police Lt. Michael Hurley tells The Associated Press a man in his mid-20s succumbed to his injuries following the attack in the waters off Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet at around noon Saturday.The man was pronounced dead at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis. Hurley says state police and the Cape Cod District Attorney's office are handling the investigation.The beach has been closed to swimming.The attack is the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts since 1936.A New York man was severely injured Aug. 15 after fighting off a shark off Truro , also on Cape Cod. He's currently recovering in a Boston hospital.----------
A shark kills a man in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the state's first such fatality since 1936.