The summer of 1916 saw a series of shark attacks along the New Jersey coast, creating widespread panic and fundamentally altering public perception of sharks. These unprecedented incidents transformed sharks from largely misunderstood creatures into figures of terror. Scientists and historians later sought to unravel the complex factors behind these events, which left a lasting mark on coastal communities and ocean safety protocols.
The Events Unfold
The attacks began on July 1, 1916, at Beach Haven, a resort town on Long Beach Island, when Charles Epting Vansant, 23, suffered a severe leg injury while swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and later died from blood loss. Five days later, on July 6, a second incident occurred 45 miles north in Spring Lake, where Charles Bruder, a 27-year-old bell captain, was attacked 130 yards from shore. Bruder’s legs were severed, and he bled to death before reaching the shore, further escalating public alarm.
The most shocking events unfolded on July 12, in Matawan Creek, a freshwater tidal creek located 30 miles north of Spring Lake and several miles inland from Raritan Bay. Here, 11-year-old Lester Stillwell was pulled underwater by a shark while swimming with friends at Wyckoff Dock. Twenty-four-year-old Stanley Fisher, who joined a rescue party, was fatally attacked while searching for Stillwell’s body. Minutes later and a half-mile downstream, 12-year-old Joseph Dunn sustained a leg injury but survived, making him the only survivor of the five attacks.
Identifying the Primary Suspect
The unusual nature of the Matawan Creek attacks, particularly their occurrence in freshwater, pointed towards a specific type of shark. While great white sharks were initially considered, and a 7.5-foot great white was captured in Raritan Bay with alleged human remains in its stomach, the bull shark emerged as the most likely culprit for the inland attacks. Bull sharks possess a unique physiological adaptation, making them euryhaline and capable of regulating their salt balance to thrive in both saltwater and freshwater environments, including rivers and estuaries far from the ocean.
These sharks are known for their robust bodies, aggressive tendencies, and preference for shallow coastal waters, which frequently brings them into contact with humans. Male bull sharks grow to about 7 feet, while females often exceed 11 feet and weigh between 200 and 500 pounds, making them large enough to inflict severe injuries on humans. Their ability to navigate far up rivers, coupled with their territorial nature and powerful bite, aligns with the circumstances of the Matawan Creek incidents, where a shark attacked multiple victims in confined freshwater.
Environmental and Biological Contributors
Several environmental and biological factors converged to create the conditions for the 1916 attacks. The summer of 1916 was marked by an intense heatwave and a polio epidemic, which drove thousands of people to the Jersey Shore’s beaches seeking relief in the ocean waters. This increased human presence in the water heightened the potential for human-shark interactions. Ocean temperatures along the coast were also unusually warm, which can influence shark behavior by expanding their foraging ranges closer to shore or increasing their metabolic rates.
Reports from the time suggested that coastal waters were abundant with baitfish, which attracted larger predatory sharks into shallower areas. Fishermen’s practices, such as chumming—throwing fish parts into the water to lure game fish—inadvertently drew sharks closer to swimming areas. Furthermore, the Matawan Creek attacks were influenced by drought conditions that increased the salinity of the creek, making it more hospitable for bull sharks to venture further inland. The combination of these factors created an environment where sharks were present in closer proximity to swimmers, with increased motivation to feed.
The Scientific Consensus
Modern scientific understanding attributes the 1916 Jersey Shore shark attacks not to a single cause but to a rare confluence of multiple environmental and biological factors. The bull shark is the most probable species responsible for the attacks, particularly those in the freshwater Matawan Creek. This species’ tolerance for freshwater, aggressive nature, and presence in shallow coastal and estuarine systems make it a fitting candidate for the series of events.
The attacks were intensified by the unusually warm ocean temperatures, an abundance of prey species, and a significant increase in human activity along the New Jersey coast during that specific summer. These conditions drew sharks closer to shore and into unusual habitats, such as Matawan Creek. The 1916 incidents underscore how environmental shifts, human behavior, and the biological characteristics of marine predators align to create tragic and historically significant encounters.