June 29 (UPI) -- A 20-year-old woman was likely bitten by a juvenile sand tiger shark while swimming off a New York beach, officials said.
The unidentified woman was waist-deep in the surf at the Central Mall beachfront of Jones Beach State Park when at about 4:15 p.m. EDT Wednesday she reported being bitten by an unknown marine wildlife, the state's Park, Recreation and Historic Preservation office said in a statement on Friday.
Officials said the woman suffered non-life-threatening laceration injuries to her left foot and leg and was transported to Nassau County University Medical Center Hospital for treatment.
As she did not observe what exactly attacked her, an investigation ensued with biologists concluding that it was "most likely" a juvenile sand tiger shark, though "without direct observation of the animal that caused the bites a full expert consensus was not reached," park officials said.
Swimming resumed at the beach on Thursday, after park staff and police used drones to search the area and lifeguards scanned the water from the shore.
There have been a total of 24 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in New York state since 1837, according to the Florida Museum's International Shark Attack File.
