Don’t worry, Long Island beachgoers: Stingrays, not sharks, were the culprits behind the mass exodus of swimmers at Robert Moses State Park just before noon on Friday.
A Suffolk County police spokeswoman said the marine bureau began investigating reports of a possible shark sighting around 11 a.m. near Field 2, only to find that stingrays were in the water.
A New York State Parks Police spokesman said beachgoers were allowed back in the water just after 12:30 p.m.
When state parks police and lifeguards inspected the water for sharks, they didn’t find anything, the spokesman said.
NBC New York reported earlier this week that there have been at least five shark sightings off Long Island this summer. Some of the reports came out of Montauk and Fire Island, according to NBC.