NEED TO KNOW
- A beachgoer in New Jersey was stabbed in the leg while swimming — and officials suspect that it may have been a sting from a needlefish
- The Long Beach Township Police Department said that officers were called after an adult male sustained a “minor leg injury” while swimming on June 21
- Needlefish are mostly found in shallow waters near the shore and can leap out of the water to strike when they feel threatened
A beachgoer in New Jersey was stabbed in the leg while swimming — and officials suspect it may have been a sting from a needlefish.
On Saturday, June 21, the Long Beach Township Police Department shared a press release stating that officers were called to the city’s 9th Street beach after an adult male sustained a “minor leg injury” while swimming at around 11:40 a.m. local time.
After being treated by the Barnegat Light Beach Patrol, police officers and Barnegat Light First Aid, first responders took the man to a local hospital, and police said that no further information about the incident was available.
“The cause of the injury is currently unknown,” the press release added.
Speaking with the Courier-Post, Barnegat Light Beach Patrol Sgt. Hugh Shields described the man’s injury as a puncture hole wound in the calf.
According to Shields, the victim’s calf had seemingly been stabbed by a needlefish or a houndfish, two species that are common in New Jersey and other Atlantic waters during the summer.
The Barnegat Light First Aid Squad later confirmed the news, writing in a Facebook post that the “initial indication appears to have been a needlefish.”
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According to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), needlefish (and houndfish, a closely related species) are mostly found in shallow waters, bays and estuaries near the shore, often range from 8 to 18 inches in size and can leap out of the water to strike when they feel threatened.
Although human encounters with needle and houndfish are rare, they aren’t unheard-of.
In 2010, a kayaker in the Florida Keys had her lung punctured when a fish leapt out of the water and stabbed her in the back.
In 1999, a fisherman in Malaysia was killed after being speared by a houndfish, according to the Courier-Post.
USA Today also reported that a 20-year-old in Brazil was found to have part of a needlefish’s jaw embedded behind his ear after he was hit by the fish while surfing.
Another impaling incident also took place in New Jersey last week — although it involved an umbrella pole instead of a fish.
According to USA Today, a lifeguard was impaled by a windswept umbrella on the morning of June 25 in Asbury Park.
The city’s fire chief, Kevin Keddy, said the lifeguard was alert and conscious following the incident. First responders eventually cut the umbrella pole on both sides of her arm to allow for easier transportation to a local hospital, Keddy added.
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