Man injured at South Jersey beach after possible shark bite

VENTNOR, New Jersey (WPVI) -- A man was injured at a beach in South Jersey on Sunday after a possible shark bite.

It happened at approximately 9:30 a.m. at Surrey Avenue Beach in Ventnor.

The Ventnor City Beach Patrol told Action News a man was in the water when his hand may have been bitten by a shark.

"As our lifeguards were preparing to open for the day somebody ran up and said, 'Somebody may have been bitten by a shark,'" recalled Captain David Funk with Ventnor City Beach Patrol.

Authorities say the victim, a man in his 30s, was out for a morning swim when the injury occurred.

After that, lifeguards instructed beachgoers to stay on the sand for most of the morning.

"That person was transported to the local hospital for treatment with non-life-threatening injuries," said Funk.

Experts say they are still working to confirm the details, but a shark was not spotted in the water.

"Never at any point did anyone see a shark or fin or anything alluding to it being a shark bite other than a person coming out of the water with a laceration to the hand," Funk explained.

Steve Nagiewicz, an adjunct professor of marine science at Stockton University, says several animals could have been behind the bite.

"I wouldn't call it a shark attack, I wouldn't call it a ray attack, but it's an animal. Something must've grabbed his hand briefly to cause stitches," said Nagiewicz. "The two most common ones are rays and sharks, but it's not uncommon for bluefish and bunker and all kinds of fish to be nearby."

Despite what may have caused the bite, beachgoers were back to the same routine on Monday and hoping to catch some waves.

One surfer told Action News he wasn't phased by the incident and doesn't expect to run into wildlife any time soon.

"Lots of other surfers I've crashed into, but not any sea creatures or wildlife," said Mustafa Rashed from Ventnor.

Others said it's probably better to be safe than sorry.

"I guess be careful, watch your surroundings more," noted Joy Leonetti from Ventnor.