Queens

Shark sightings temporarily close stretch of Rockaway Beach

Parts of Rockaway Beach in Queens was closed Thursday afternoon after two confirmed shark sightings

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A stretch of beach in Queens was closed Thursday afternoon after two confirmed shark sightings, senior city officials tell NBC New York.

Beach 58 to Beach 81 at Rockaway Beach and the Boardwalk were closed at 2:40 p.m., sources tell NBC New York, which was confirmed by the NYC Parks website.

Additional closures were reported from Beach 64 to Beach 104.

NYPD officials said their drones captured footage of the sharks off the coast and will continue to monitor the area.

Chopper 4 spotted a red "No Swimming" flag posted on Rockaway Beach Thursday afternoon.

Further down the coastline, last summer, NBC New York went with Jones Beach lifeguards to see what it was like when they patrolled for sharks.

The uptick of marine sightings along the northeast coast this summer has certainly caused a stir for beachgoers, but New York lifeguards want visitors to know there is nothing to fear as new technology is changing the game. NBC New York's Linda Gaudino reports.
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