1916 New Jersey Shore Shark Attack Victim

Posted by Debbie Lang | June 23, 2015

This 1916 shark attack video describes the killing spree that began on July 1, 1916 with Charles Vansant, 25, an unsuspecting young man going for a leisurely swim off the New Jersey Shore town of Beach Haven. Vansant, a doctor's son from Philadelphia, decided to take an early-evening swim as a lifeguard watched. He was out fifty feet or so when he was fatally attacked by a shark, suffering severe blood loss from a gaping wound on his left thigh. This marked the first of five shark attacks that took place along the New Jersey Coast over the next twelve days. Related Article: Jaws: History vs. Hollywood