Massachusetts

Deadly Shark Attack Raises Concerns on Wellfleet Beach

Arthur Medici, 26, of Revere, was attacked Saturday afternoon while he was boogie boarding and later died

For the second time in as many days, at least a dozen surfers at Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, rode the waves, ignoring warning signs posted at the entrance since Saturday’s deadly shark attack.

The attack has prompted town officials to discuss ways to improve beach safety.

Arthur Medici, 26, of Revere, was attacked Saturday afternoon while he was boogie boarding. He died later at a Hyannis hospital. Medici's death marked the first deadly shark attack in Massachusetts since 1936.

Despite the many warnings and the closed beach, people spent hours in the water on Monday.

“I think that’s tempting fate,” said beachgoer Charlene Poliquin. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Janet Reinhart, the chair of the Wellfleet Board of Selectmen, said while she understands that people want to swim, she wants them to know that the danger is real.

“People say we should do something, which we obviously will,” said Reinhart. “There’s lots of suggestions from killing the seals to killing the sharks to nets to drones, but a lot of that takes investigation.”

The board of selectmen will meet next Tuesday to discuss beach safety.

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