Flooded streets in a coastal New Jersey town took an unusual turn on September 26 when residents spotted a small shark swimming through the water. The animal appeared in Surf City on Long Beach Island as a powerful nor’easter brought heavy rain, strong winds, and coastal flooding to parts of the East Coast.
Resident Drew Procaccino recorded the shark as it moved past his home around noon. Video showed the animal swimming up a driveway before heading west toward Barnegat Bay.
“Is that a little shark?” someone can be heard asking in the video. Another person responds, “He’s coming this way.”
The Shark Was a Smooth Dogfish
Marine biologist Greg Skomal identified the animal as a smooth dogfish, also called a dusky smoothhound. Skomal works with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and leads the Massachusetts Shark Research Program.
The smooth dogfish is a small shark that poses little danger to people. The species lives across the western Atlantic Ocean, with a range stretching from eastern Canada to Argentina.
Most smooth dogfish grow to about three feet long, although some can reach five feet. They commonly live in coastal waters, which likely explains how one appeared in a neighborhood affected by storm-driven flooding.
Their diet also differs from the image many people associate with sharks. Smooth dogfish feed on crustaceans, squid, and bony fish. Their teeth are flat and blunt rather than sharp and pointed, allowing them to crush and grind food.
Female smooth dogfish give birth to live young after about ten months of pregnancy. A female can have between four and 20 pups. Females may live for up to 16 years, while males generally reach about 10 years.
Nor’easter Brings Coastal Flooding
The unusual shark sighting happened as a slow-moving nor’easter affected areas across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The storm produced heavy rain, strong winds, and coastal flooding while disrupting travel and causing power outages.
The storm also proved deadly. Leighton Brown, 56, died in Brooklyn after a section of a tree fell and struck him while he was walking. Nearly 1,000 trees fell across New York City’s five boroughs.
Nor’easters get their name from the strong northeasterly winds that often develop along the coast. These low-pressure weather systems can occur at any time of year but appear most often between September and April. They commonly develop between Georgia and New Jersey, often within about 100 miles of the East Coast.
Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton, Massachusetts, told the Associated Press that people closer to the coast generally face greater effects from these storms.
Other Animals Caught in the Flooding
The smooth dogfish was not the only animal affected by the storm. In Middletown Township, New Jersey, firefighters rescued a doe after it became trapped in a metal fence while trying to move through the area.
Firefighters covered the deer’s head with a blanket and used an electric saw to cut through the fence. The crew freed the animal in about 15 minutes, and the deer left without injuries.
Rob Allen, a spokesperson for the Middletown Township Fire Department, told the Washington Post, “They’re our neighbors just as much as the next person.”
Another unusual scene unfolded in Ocean City, New Jersey, where a dog named Daisy traveled through flooded streets on a kayak. Her owner, Robin Shaffer, shared a video that later attracted widespread attention.
Shaffer said the flooding surrounded the house, making it difficult to get Daisy to dry ground. The kayak provided a practical way to move the Corgi mix to a safe, dry area so she could relieve herself.
“There was so much water surrounding my house that I had to literally get the kayak out to bring the dog, a little Corgi mix, just to get her over to dry land where she could do what dogs do,” Shaffer told WHYY’s Tom MacDonald.
What the Shark Sighting Shows
The smooth dogfish sighting highlights how coastal flooding can carry marine animals into areas where people do not normally see them. Floodwater can connect streets, yards, bays, and other waterways, creating temporary paths for animals living near the shore.
The shark did not represent an unusual threat to residents. Instead, its appearance offered a rare glimpse of how storm conditions can change the boundary between coastal waters and nearby communities.
The September 26 sighting in Surf City turned an ordinary flooded street into an unexpected wildlife scene. The smooth dogfish remained harmless as it moved toward Barnegat Bay, while other animals also faced challenges from the same storm.
From a trapped deer in Middletown Township to Daisy riding a kayak in Ocean City, the nor’easter created unusual encounters across New Jersey’s flooded coastal communities.
