All beaches reopened

All beaches have reopened following the catching of the giant killer shark responsible for the two horrible deaths that have occurred this past week.  The beaches will reopen just in time for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.

Police Chief Martine Brody commented on the reopening of the beaches saying, “I urge all our residents to recreate at the beaches in order to encourage the participation of all our visitors in the wonderful water sports of which we all so happily partake throughout the summer. Swim and have fun!”

Matt Hooper, a marine biologist from Woods Hole, Mass., Oceanographic Institute says that the shark was 11 feet long and weighed 875 lbs. Hooper says that it was a Nurse shark, one of the most brutal and dangerous of all sharks.

The fisherman who caught the shark is Mike Swenson of Method, Mass. He caught the shark one mile south-southwest of Amity and will receive a $3,000 reward for his efforts.

Police Chief Brody said not to be alarmed by the presence of shark spotters from the Coast Guard, Marine Patrol, Massachusetts State Police, and other police agencies. “They are simply a safety precaution that we hope will put our visitors at ease.”

Law enforcement officials are urging vigilance by all citizens, but according to Brody, “We believe we can safely say that the danger of further shark attacks has probably passed.”

While many people returned to the beaches, beachgoers were still uneasy to go in the water.  For a large portion of the day most people stayed out of the water.  Eventually many did go into the water and all appeared at ease.

But, after the sight of what appeared to be a shark fin a small panic ensued.  People fled from the water and law enforcement officials jumped to action.

It turned out to be an ill-mannered  prank perpetrated by two twelve year old Amity residents, Wayne Winston and Brad Kaplan.  No major injuries were sustained but many individuals appeared sufficiently shaken up.  The boys have been remanded to the custody of their parents.

Any shark sightings should be reported to authorities at the hotline, 1-800-sharksee.

Amity Beaches to Be Closed for Twenty Four Hours

The beaches of Amity will be closed for the next twenty four hours following a town meeting today.  These actions are in response to the deaths of Alex Kintner and Christine Watson possibly caused by separate shark attacks.

Police Chief Martin Brody outlined his plans for the community stating that extra summer deputies and shark spotters would be put on the beaches.  After being asked by the audience of the meeting if the beaches would be closed Brody said yes. 

Mayor Larry Vaughn immediately chimed in adding that it would be for only twenty four hours to the dismay of the crowd at hand.  Police Chief Brody appeared surprised, but afterward commented saying, “I completely support the mayor’s decision.” Brody went on to state he must have been mistaken and that the mayor was accurate. 

The death of Watson occurred last night, her mangled body was found washed ashore this morning.  Kintner was killed in plain view today while rafting near the shore, his body has not been recovered but his raft was found badly damaged.

Local Fisherman Ben Quint made an announcement that he would catch the fish as long as he was paid $10,000.  Quint stated that he would catch and kill the shark quickly, but that it would not be pleasant.  He requested no volunteers or help merely $10,000. “That will get you the head, the tail, the whole damn thing.”

There is a current bounty that the Kintner family has put out for $3,000 to catch and kill the shark, however Quint said that was not enough, “$3,000 is not enough for me to risk my neck.”

Mayor Vaugh has stated that he has taken Quint’s offer under advisement, and after talking to mrs. Kintner the town will supply $7,000 to Quint and the Kintner family will supply the remaining $3,000.

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With recent shark problems in the northeast many people are wondering what the chances of a shark attack in New Hampshire is. The chances of a shark attack are extremely small, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File the chances of anyone being attacked by a shark is one in 11.5 million. 

George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research there are about 65 shark attacks world wide a year.  Only four of these are fatalities. Burgess believes that the chances of being killed by a shark are very slim. “Your odds as an individual or being attacked and dying in the mouth of a shark in any given year are as close to zero as you can get.”

This is even more unlikely the farther north you go especially once you get into New England.  According to Burgess it is very rare for shark attacks to occur in New England, which is why the press will make a bigger deal in New England. “Often in New England, sharks are uncommon, so the press up there is relatively unaccustomed to sharks.”  In fact, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History, there wasn’t a single shark attack in New Hampshire between 1959 and 1994.

Furthermore, the kinds of sharks in New Hampshire are not very dangerous.  According to the Portsmouth fishing society, the most common shark to be found off the shore of New Hampshire is the Blue Shark.  The blue shark is ranked as the tenth most dangerous shark by National Geographic, however almost all of their attacks were in deep water, and there have only ever been 13 attacks on humans with four resulting fatalities.

Shark attacks are increasing in America, however it doesn’t appear that that trend is spreading into New Hampshire or New England, as there hasn’t been a fatal shark attack in New England since 1936 according to the Newbury News.  So don’t fear the water this summer, as it appears extremely unlikely that a shark attack could occur in New Hampshire, or anywhere in New England for that matter.

Town Meeting Called in Light of Death of Amity Village Child

Everything seemed calm and relaxed on a fun filled day at Village beach until it turned into a horrible nightmare as 10-year-old Alex Kintner of Amity was killed in what may possibly be a shark attack.

At approximately 2 P.M. witnesses at Village beach including Police Chief Martin Brody saw Kintner floating offshore on a rubber raft when the attack appeared to occur.  Chaos immediately erupted as numerous other children clambered to get out of the crimson colored ocean immediately following the apparent attack.

Kintner’s body has not been recovered and his raft floated ashore with what appeared to be an enormous bite taken out of it. Alex’s mother Marion Kintner, who was at the beach and witnessed the apparent attack, is being treated for shock at Amity General Hospital.  There were no other injuries.

In light of this incident the police department believes that the Watson death that occurred in the last 24 hours may be linked to shark activity in the area surrounding Amity.  There is an ongoing investigation.

In response to this Mayor Bob Farley has expressed the town’s deepest and most sincere condolences to the Kintner family. 

The Mayor, Police Chief Brody, and the Amity Board of Selectmen will be holding a special meeting at 6 P.M. tonight in Town Hall.  Amongst the agenda will be Police Chief Brody’s plan to close the beaches for the Fourth of July, as well as the Kintner family’s reward of $3,000 for the capture of the perpetrators of their son’s death.

Amity Village Teen Found Dead on Shore of South Beach

Shortly after 6 A.M. this morning the body of 17 year old Christine W. Watson, a senior at Amity High School was found washed up on the shore South Beach.

Watson’s body was horribly mangled by an unknown attacker and has been sent to the coroner’s office for an autopsy.  Dr. Robert Nevin, the Amity Ville Medical Examiner stated that the wounds are consistent with a motor boating accident.

The police are continuing their investigation into what happened, and no charges have yet been filed.  However they are interviewing sailors with boats near South Beach, and looking at the harbor master’s log in an attempt to determine if any boats had been in the area.

According to Amity Police Chief Martin Brody, “nothing has been ruled out” including a shark attack. But Brody also stated in a press release that no residents and visitors are in danger.  The beaches of Amity shall remain open for swimming pending the investigation’s outcome.

Mayor Larry Vaughn said that there was no evidence of a shark attack and that there is no need for additional precautions for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.

Watson was last seen departing from a beach party at approximately 11 P.M. with former Amity resident Christopher Hoggenbottam III, a sophomore at Trinity College.  According to witnesses at the beach party both Watson and Hoggenbottam had been heavily drinking, and possibly smoking marijuana.

Hoggenbottam told police that Watson, a member of the varsity swim team and a lifeguard at the Amity Island YMCA pool, decided to go swimming.  She entered the water at a remote section of South Beach near the South Beach Shoal bell buoy.

After Watson did not return from the water Hoggenbottam notified the police, and after a brief search Watson’s body was discovered.

The weather was clear with a temperature of 72 degrees F, and the sea was calm.  Water temperature was 65 degrees F and the winds were from the south at approximately 3 knots.

Anyone with additional information should contact Police Chief Brody at brodyman@beachcop.com.