A 12-year-old girl was bitten by a shark in Ocean City on Monday, confirms Ocean City Beach Patrol. The incident is the first recorded shark bite in Maryland history.
Jordan Prushinski from Pennsylvania was swimming in shallow water near 119th Street when she felt something move against her leg. Emerging from the waves with blood on her calf and knee, Prushinski received first aid on the beach before being taken to the hospital. She later received 42 stitches for 20 lacerations.
Ocean City Beach Patrol Captain Butch Arbin told Delmarva Now that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources believes the culprit was likely a sandbar shark.
According to the National Aquarium, the species is the most common variety of shark in the Chesapeake Bay and can also be found in other mid-Atlantic waters. The sharks can grow to be eight feet long, identifiable through their tall first dorsal fin. Sandbar sharks don’t typically interact with humans or crowded beach areas—instead, they prefer to munch on bony fish and crabs below the surface.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
