First shark of the year appears off busy US beach amid July 4 warning
Americans are not the only ones heading to the beach this week.
The first onshore shark was spotted lurking off the coast of Long Island on Monday, just days after New York officials told beachgoers to stay alert as sightings of the apex predators often peak around the Fourth of July.
Footage captured by Joanna L Steidle shows a hammerhead shark swimming not too far from the white, sandy beach filled with people enjoying the day.
'I captured the 1st onshore shark sighting off the coast of New York for the season!' Steidle shared on X.
The shark sighting came as a dangerous heat wave baked much of the eastern US, with forecasters warning that sweltering temperatures and tropical humidity could send heat indexes soaring as high as 115 degrees.
As millions of Americans seek relief from the oppressive conditions over the July 4 holiday, beaches are expected to be packed.
With the upcoming holiday, New York officials are urging beachgoers to avoid areas where seals, schools of fish or diving seabirds are present, stay out of murky water and avoid swimming at dawn, dusk or at night.
Swimmers, surfers and paddlers are also encouraged to stay in groups, remain close to shore and always follow the instructions of lifeguards and park staff.
Footage captured by Joanna L Steidle shows a hammerhead shark swimming not too far from the white, sandy beach filled with people enjoying the day
Joanna L Steidle captured the shark while flying a drone over the ocean on Monday
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Hammerhead sharks are not typically seen close to shore, but they are known to travel through the waters off Long Island.
While sightings remain uncommon, experts say they have become more frequent during the summer months as ocean temperatures rise.
The sharks are most often reported along southern Long Island, especially off the South Shore, where they tend to appear from summer into early fall.
They are drawn to the area by large schools of baitfish, including menhaden, also known as bunker, which move through New York waters during the warmer months.
The species most commonly spotted in the region is the smooth hammerhead, which can occasionally be seen cruising off the coast.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released updated guidance to 'reduce the risk of human-shark interactions,' cautioning swimmers that 13 shark species are now returning to the region.
The annual migration typically runs from June through September as ocean temperatures rise.
However, sightings often peak around the Fourth of July when sharks and their prey, including bunker fish, move closer to shore.
'Human-shark interactions are rare here, but DEC urges beachgoers and water enthusiasts to follow shark safety guidelines to reduce risk and help keep New Yorkers safe this summer,' DEC Director of Marine Resources Martin Gary said.
The shark sighting came as a dangerous heat wave baked much of the eastern US, with forecasters warning that sweltering temperatures and tropical humidity could send heat indexes soaring as high as 115 degrees
New York recorded just one confirmed unprovoked shark bite in 2025.
The incident happened on June 27 at Jones Beach State Park, when a 20-year-old swimmer suffered minor, non-life-threatening cuts to her leg after being bitten by a juvenile sand tiger shark.
Despite the lone bite, shark sightings remained frequent throughout the summer, with numerous encounters reported off Long Island and New York City beaches as expanded marine patrols and drone surveillance spotted more predators near shore.
Nationally, there were 28 reported shark attacks in 2025, with Florida accounting for more than half of them at 15 incidents.
New York's single bite marked a sharp decline from the heightened shark activity seen along the state's coastline in 2022 and 2023.
Governor Kathy Hochul said in May: 'As summer approaches, New York State is preparing to safely welcome millions of visitors to our Long Island State Park beaches.
While hammerhead sightings remain uncommon in Long Island, experts say they have become more frequent during the summer months as ocean temperatures rise
'We continue to improve our surveillance capabilities to monitor for dangerous conditions and help protect beachgoers. I encourage all visitors to remain alert and adhere to the guidance of lifeguards and park staff when visiting the beach.'
Officials have significantly expanded shark surveillance efforts this summer, with lifeguards, Park Police and park staff using drones to scan the water for sharks and large schools of fish that could attract them closer to shore.
A total of 47 drone operators are certified across Long Island State Parks, including lifeguards, police officers and park employees.
Another 20 operators are expected to complete certification by the Fourth of July, bringing the total number of trained drone pilots to 67.
State officials have also added 16 new drones to their fleet, increasing the number of aircraft used during peak beach season to 46.
Meet Melat Kiros, the Ethiopian-born anti-Israel socialist crusader who is DSA’s rising star after stunning upset in Colorado
Meet Melat Kiros, the Ethiopian-born anti-Israel socialist crusader who is DSA's rising star after stunning upset in Colorado- US News
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Politics
Meet Melat Kiros, the Ethiopian-born anti-Israel socialist crusader who is DSA’s rising star after stunning upset in Colorado
By Ryan King Published July 1, 2026, 2:06 p.m. ETSee more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The New York Post on GoogleWASHINGTON — Democratic socialism is spreading West.
Political newcomer Melat Kiros, 29, who took down 15-term Democratic incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Col.) in a stunning primary upset Tuesday, is riding a wave of anti-Israel and anti-ICE sentiment sweeping her party.
The Ethiopian-born PhD student has pushed to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), suggested that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks were “inevitable,” downplayed suggestions that a firebombing of a Jewish rally was an act of antisemitism, and more.
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Once in the House of Representatives, which is considered likely because she’s in a safe blue district, Kiros has vowed to push Democrats as far left as possible and to oppose Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) becoming speaker.
Political awakening
Kiros refined many of her far-left views in law school at Notre Dame in the early 2020s, a period she describes as her political awakening, as the country was roiled by the COVID-19 pandemic and peak wokeness.
“I literally watched the Federalist Society handpicking some of my classmates onto the judge track in their decades-long bid to pack the courts,” she complained, according to Vox. “…I just lost faith in the system; I think a lot of young people did.”
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After law school in 2022, she joined the law firm Sidley Austin in New York, where she worked as a regulatory and enforcement associate. The following year, she was fired for writing a viral open letter lambasting law firms for pushing to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses.
“By chilling future lawyers’ employment prospects for criticism of the Israeli government’s actions and its legitimacy, you are complicit in Israel’s weaponization of anti-Semitism against legitimate concerns for the right of self-determination and the livelihood of the Palestinian people,” she wrote in the missive.
Sidley Austin demanded she take the letter down, but Kiros claims she refused and was fired as a result.
“I didn’t flinch because I stood by every word and I always will,” she boasted during her victory speech Tuesday.
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That move drew headlines and boosted her name recognition in lefty circles.
After losing her law gig, Kiros moved back to Colorado, where her family had immigrated while she was just 11-months-old. Her father had been picked in America’s Diversity Visa Lottery, per her campaign website.
Back home, she enrolled in a PhD program in public policy and worked as a barista.
Then, in the middle of last year, she decided to launch a seemingly long-shot primary challenge against DeGette, who is widely considered to be a very progressive lawmaker and has served in Congress longer than Kiros has been alive.
DeGette had the backing of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
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But Kiros’ candidacy caught fire with the DSA and other lefty groups that were hunting for candidates to take on incumbent Democrats and push the party further leftwards.
One of the major differences between the two was Kiros’ tougher stance against Israel. DeGette faced grassroots pushback for supporting defensive aid to Israel.
Kiros, however, made tough talk against the Jewish state a feature of her campaign.
For example, she told notorious lefty streamer Hasan Piker that the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack was an “inevitable consequence of apartheid,” though she later clarified she wasn’t trying to say it was justified.
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Piker is a very controversial streamer, having declared that “America deserved 9/11″ and praised the “brave mujahideen” who injured Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas).
In a similar vein, she told 9News journalist Kyle Clark that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were an “inevitable consequence” of US foreign policy.
Kiros has stirred local controversy for downplaying the role of antisemitism in the June 1, 2025, firebombing attack at a weekly Jewish gathering aimed at bringing attention to the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. One person was killed and a dozen were injured in that attack.
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The attacker, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, screamed “Free Palestine” before later stating that he “wanted to kill all Zionist people,” according to the FBI.
Kiros repeatedly declined to call it antisemitism and told NOTUS that it wasn’t “entirely obvious that it was just motivated by antisemitism.”
Many of her positions are similar to those of other DSA members, including support for Medicare for All, a modified Green New Deal, and mass amnesty. Kiros also wants a 10% slash in Pentagon spending.
“People are seeing that capitalism is responsible for a lot of the degradation that we’re seeing in our economy, that we’re seeing in our democracy, that we’re certainly seeing in our climate as well,” she claimed in a recent interview.
“They’re demanding a new way to organize our economy.”
Should she win in November, she will be the first Gen. Z woman to serve in Congress and the second Zoomer overall, after Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.)
She is riding a socialist revolt within the Democratic Party, as far-left candidates have won primaries across New York, Maine, Illinois, and elsewhere heading into the midterms.
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