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Around 2 pm that day, 11-year-old Lester Stillwell was swimming in the Matawan Creek with some friends near the Wyckoff dock when he was attacked by the shark. The attacks generated headlines worldwide and prompted scientists to re-examine their understanding of sharks, stirring fear in an age in which wading at the beach was the ultimate pastime. The tour begins at the mansion and will continue up Main Street to several locations between Main, Jackson, and Wyckoff, and Ravine Drive. The string of attacks stopped with Schlesissers capture, ending the horror spree that racked the coast that hot July in 1916, taking four lives with it, and leaving behind a new bloody chapter in New Jersey history. Slab memorializes victims of the 1916 shark attacks, which occurred in this community in a creek two miles inland from Raritan Bay. A condo complex once housed a boarding school with the 24th U.S. Vice President among its notable alumni. Fernicola will speak at 7 p.m.Thursdayat the Spring Lake Community House located at Madison and Third avenues. He was going after food.. Its weird. Click here Fischer believed he had found Stillwells body, when suddenly the shark sank its teeth into Fischers leg. The fatal chompings later inspired the book and movie "Jaws." . 100 years later, shark attacks still echo - Asbury Park Press The doctor estimated that10 pounds of flesh been torn away. Are sharks the most feared animal on the planet? They dragged (Fisher) onto the shore and you could see the bones in his leg., RELATED:Matawan shark attack centennial schedule. Matawan Creek Shark Mural, Matawan, NJ - 1 mi. A Century Later, Memories of Fatal Shark Attacks Linger in New Jersey The exact species of shark has never been confirmed, although it was rumored to be a great white shark a monstrous anomaly that would inspire Peter Benchley to write his 1974 novel Jaws set on the nearby Long Island. They arent found on land, wandering the streets, lurking in city shadows, or even hiding under your bed. Your Local News for Monmouth County, New Jersey, Bull sharks about this size have been spotted in the Navesink River, Rumson residents say Paul Cameron said he has seen sharks about this size in Jersey Shore rivers. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). But everyone agreed on what happened next. You never expect that kind of thing to happen here, said Kauffmann of the Matawan Historical Society. Fisher lived about two hours. The attacks later inspired the book and the movie Jaws. My whole arm was in its mouth: Woman loses arm in shark attack in the Bahamas. Onlookers saw the thrashing water and believed a man in a red canoe was in trouble, unaware that the red was not a canoe but the blood from Bruders injuries. Then came Jaws. The 1974 novel by Peter Benchley, followed by the movie directed by Steven Spielberg, brought sharks into the spotlight, and led to the proliferation of shark attack-related movies and TV series, such as Discovery Channels Shark Week, which debuted in 1988. All rights reserved. He knew that sharks dont swim in brackish water like Matawan Creek, but he remembered recent accounts of shark attacks in nearby Spring Lake. Bridge over the Matawan Creek where the shark was spotted (photograph by the author). The last shark attacks in New Jersey were non-fatal incidents. The athletic 25-year-old waded into the shallow surf and swam out from shore with a paddling Chesapeake Bay retriever at his side when a dark fin suddenly sliced through the 3-and-1/2 foot deep . Matawan is going all-out to mark the centennial. Michael dove into the water, trying to pull Joseph to safety. Catch up on the latest discoveries from the road. Researchers disagree on what species of shark was most likely responsible for the attacks, but a juvenile great white was taken two days after the Matawan deaths with 15 pounds of human remains in its stomach. Michael Schleisser and the shark caught in Raritan Bay in 1916 (via Bronx Home News). On July 14,Michael Schleisser and John Murphy set out for a day of fishing in New Jerseys Raritan Bay in their small motorboat. The surge in fatal shark attacks partly inspired the book and movie Jaws.. It was like a serial killer, Mr. Savolaine said of the shark. Joseph was 10 feet from shore when the shark clamped down onto his leg and tried to drag him into deeper water, however his brother and a boy named Jacob Lefferts were able to pull him to safety. In honor of the heroism exhibited by many and the events that followed, the Matawan Historical Society will be hosting their annual Shark Attack Commemoration Tour that day. In honor of the heroism exhibited by many and the events that followed, the Matawan Historical Society will be hosting their annual Shark Attack Commemoration Tour that day. The 11-year-old died in 1916 after being attacked by what was believed to be a great white shark that also killed three other people. and receive free news updates. Before Jaws, most people rarely believed John S. Nicholss story about a shark killing his great-uncle, Mr. Fisher, who had tried to save Lester. Become a Member. It really is world-known.. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. New Mexicos Stolen LandsAnd The Fight To Win Them Back, 5 Music History Books To Read If You Love Bobby Braddock, Protesting in America: 5 Rebellions in American History, Summer of 1996: 20 Things America Was Obsessing About 20 Years Ago, 9 Fascinating Facts About Womens Contributions Throughout History. Submit your own tip. The town of Matawan has always had an uneasy relationship with this legacy, torn between ignoring the tragedy or blatantly cashing in like Salem, Massachusetts does with its witch trial history. Check out the book Shark Attacks of the Jersey Shore: A History as well as its similar titles at arcadiapublishing.com! It flared again with the gruesome tales of shark feeding frenzies in the Pacific during World War II. Residents of Beach Haven believed it to be a tragic random occurrence, but they would learn in the following days how wrong they were. Other residents rushed him to a train, which brought him to the closest hospital, in Long Branch, N.J., where he died. Up the hill, Mr. Fishers grave is a short walk away. As a monument to this infamous tragedy, an artist has created the Matawan Man-Eater Mural. But the shark only let go when frantic rescuers in a boat beat him with an oar. Some of the . In July 2011, a fisherman wading in Egg Harbor (Atlantic County) was bitten in the boot. After a two day search of the creek young Lester Stillwell's body was found on July 14th, 150 yards upstream. I didnt think sharks would be so close to shore, Ryan said. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Captain Cottrell, one of the days heroes, declared he had caught the 230-pound, seven-foot bull shark at the mouth of Matawan Creek. How can this be? No one had ever heard of a shark swimming eleven miles inland. According to some witnesses, he had the boys shredded body in hand. Lifeguard Alexander Ott rushed out to help Vansant out of the extremely shallow water and into medical care, but his injuries were too severe and he would bleed to death at the very hotel his family was staying in. For more information call609-492-0202. When they pulled Fisher out, little was left of his right thigh. The 1916 shark attacks: Remembering a grisly moment in N.J. history clockThis article was published more than6 years ago. Shockingly, in 1916, four shark attacks occurred on the same day! Matawan is an ideal centennial host because much of the town remains unchanged. Upright stone slab in a small park memorializes the victims of the 1916 shark attacks, which unexpectedly occurred just up the street, in a creek two miles inland from Raritan Bay. A terrorist attack can take several forms, depending on the technology available to the terrorist, the nature of the issue motivating the attack, and the terrorist's target. The events will include a hero walk that retraces Mr. Fishers route to the creek and the unveiling of a monument in a park in the center of town on Sunday. So how does this seafaring predator get such a fearsome rap? The Matawan Man-Eater: The Real-Life Jersey "Jaws" - Weird NJ "The man was unfortunately flung out of the water and lost both his legs below the knees and had other gashes and lacerations," saidRichard G. Fernicola, author of Twelve Days of Terror, a historical account of the events. However, the events in New Jersey, in which one shark attacked five people on the same coast within two weeks, remains unique. Many sharks were caught. Take a Driving Tour of Old Matawan | Matawan, NJ Patch Matawan Creek July 12, 2016 to the Minute 100 years since the 1916 Shark Attacks at this Spot At least ten pounds of flesh were removed, leaving the remainder of his leg a bloody mass. Before he could free the victims limb, the shark found Stanleys thigh. They wanted to kill as many sharks as they could but quickly figured out that was futile, Fernicola said. What Is Man-Eater Matawan Mural In New Jersey? - Only In Your State To recognize this event in Beach Haven's history, the New Jersey Maritime Museum and the Shark Research Institute have joined to present "12 Days of Terror," a shark awareness wine dinner at Buckalew's Restaurant -Tavern, 101 North Bay Ave. from 5 to 9 p.m.July 6. With previous deadly attacks in Beach Haven and Spring Lake, New Jersey, the shark made its way north and down a freshwater creek in Matawan, New Jersey on July 12, where it would attack and kill 12-year-old Lester Stillwell and 24-year-old Stanley Fisher within an hour of each other. I know when Shark Week is on TV because when Im in a grocery store, a neighbor will offer their condolences, Mr. Nichols, a resident of State College, Pa., said. Tickets cost$100 per persongratuity included and are available by cash, check or credit card at the NewJerseyMaritime Museum, 528 Dock Road. Stanley suffered a wide laceration on his right thigh that ran from his hip to his knee. Matawan Creek in New Jersey, left, where Lester Stillwell was killed by a shark in 1916; Al Savolaine, right, a historian who wrote a book about the attack. Try My Sights, Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. He alone would live. 2015 saw the highest number of shark attacks worldwide98and six were fatal. Beach-town mayors had their waters encircled with fences and netting.