The 1916 Jersey Shore Shark Attacks (Part 1)

2026-03-09 · 59 min · episode 764 · 17 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

→ references Are You Afraid of the Dark book

0.62 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uences. Recommendations in this Episode Listen to Laughing in the Dark an ' Are You Afraid of the Dark ' Rewatch Podcast with @mikie_sirois & Dave (@thatqueerwolf) (in addition to Br
→ references The Age of Innocence book

0.60 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uly 8: 1. Capuzzo, Micahel. 2001. Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in An Age of Innocence. New York, NY: Broadway Books. Central New Jersey Home News. 1916. "Man and tw
→ hosted by Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart person

0.55 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart
→ recommended The Age of Innocence book

0.50 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uly 8: 1. Capuzzo, Micahel. 2001. Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in An Age of Innocence. New York, NY: Broadway Books. Central New Jersey Home News. 1916. "Man and tw
→ recommended The Age of Innocence book

0.50 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uly 8: 1. Capuzzo, Micahel. 2001. Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in An Age of Innocence. New York, NY: Broadway Books. Central New Jersey Home News. 1916. "Man and tw
→ recommended Are You Afraid of the Dark book

0.50 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uences. Recommendations in this Episode Listen to Laughing in the Dark an ' Are You Afraid of the Dark ' Rewatch Podcast with @mikie_sirois & Dave (@thatqueerwolf) (in addition to Br
→ recommended Are You Afraid of the Dark book

0.50 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uences. Recommendations in this Episode Listen to Laughing in the Dark an ' Are You Afraid of the Dark ' Rewatch Podcast with @mikie_sirois & Dave (@thatqueerwolf) (in addition to Br
→ discusses Comedy concept

0.40 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Comedy
→ discusses True Crime podcast

0.40 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: True Crime
→ references Yearly Worldwide Summary person

0.38 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "The 1916 Jersey Shore Shark Attacks (Part 1)": https://floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/yearly-worldwide-summary

Entities found in this episode

books 8

mentioned Are You Afraid of the Dark book

0.73 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uences. Recommendations in this Episode Listen to Laughing in the Dark an ' Are You Afraid of the Dark ' Rewatch Podcast with @mikie_sirois & Dave (@thatqueerwolf) (in addition to Br
mentioned The Age of Innocence book

0.70 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uly 8: 1. Capuzzo, Micahel. 2001. Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in An Age of Innocence. New York, NY: Broadway Books. Central New Jersey Home News. 1916. "Man and tw
references Are You Afraid of the Dark book

0.62 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uences. Recommendations in this Episode Listen to Laughing in the Dark an ' Are You Afraid of the Dark ' Rewatch Podcast with @mikie_sirois & Dave (@thatqueerwolf) (in addition to Br
references The Age of Innocence book

0.60 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uly 8: 1. Capuzzo, Micahel. 2001. Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in An Age of Innocence. New York, NY: Broadway Books. Central New Jersey Home News. 1916. "Man and tw
recommended The Age of Innocence book

0.50 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uly 8: 1. Capuzzo, Micahel. 2001. Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in An Age of Innocence. New York, NY: Broadway Books. Central New Jersey Home News. 1916. "Man and tw
recommended The Age of Innocence book

0.50 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uly 8: 1. Capuzzo, Micahel. 2001. Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in An Age of Innocence. New York, NY: Broadway Books. Central New Jersey Home News. 1916. "Man and tw
recommended Are You Afraid of the Dark book

0.50 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uences. Recommendations in this Episode Listen to Laughing in the Dark an ' Are You Afraid of the Dark ' Rewatch Podcast with @mikie_sirois & Dave (@thatqueerwolf) (in addition to Br
recommended Are You Afraid of the Dark book

0.50 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
uences. Recommendations in this Episode Listen to Laughing in the Dark an ' Are You Afraid of the Dark ' Rewatch Podcast with @mikie_sirois & Dave (@thatqueerwolf) (in addition to Br

persons 4

mentioned Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart person

0.70 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart
hosted by Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart person

0.55 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart
mentioned Yearly Worldwide Summary person

0.45 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "The 1916 Jersey Shore Shark Attacks (Part 1)": https://floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/yearly-worldwide-summary
references Yearly Worldwide Summary person

0.38 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "The 1916 Jersey Shore Shark Attacks (Part 1)": https://floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/yearly-worldwide-summary

concepts 3

mentioned Comedy concept

0.50 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Comedy
discusses Comedy concept

0.40 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Comedy
mentioned Mikie Sirois concept

0.30 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
@mikie_sirois

podcasts 2

mentioned True Crime podcast

0.50 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: True Crime
discusses True Crime podcast

0.40 · ×9

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: True Crime

Episode description as stored

When Stephen Spielberg released his iconic film Jaws in the summer of 1975, he not only kicked off the phenomenon of the summer blockbuster, but also reignited the public’s fascination with and fear of shark attacks. Although based on a book of the same name, that novel was itself heavily influenced on several real-life events from the past, including one particular summer on the Jersey Shore. In the early twentieth-century, most Americans didn’t think much about sharks or the other potentially dangerous fish and animals that lived in the ocean. In fact, the majority of Americans don’t live in coastal areas and probably didn’t know there were differences between species. That all changed in the summer of 1916, when a loan shark killed four people and critically injured one person in the waters along the Jersey Shore. More than merely accidental bites, the attacks seemed almost intentional, leading to the widespread belief that a man-eater was stalking the waters of the northeastern state. In the century that has passed since, the Jersey Shore shark attacks have fueled Americans imaginations and nightmares, leading to widely celebrated novels and films about sharks, but also contributing to serious misunderstandings about sharks and their behavior, often with terrible consequences. Recommendations in this Episode Listen to Laughing in the Dark an ' Are You Afraid of the Dark ' Rewatch Podcast with @mikie_sirois & Dave (@thatqueerwolf) (in addition to Bryan and Aileen!) Grab SIGNED EDITIONS of The Butcher Legacy from Barnes & Noble before they run out! References Asbury Park Press. 1916. "Bathers need have no fear of sharks." Asbury Park Press , July 5: 11. —. 1916. "Governor urges safeguards such as Asbury Park has." Asbury Park Press , July 13: 1. —. 1916. "Nets and armed motorboat patrol to protect bathers." Asbury Park Press , July 7: 1. —. 1916. "Shak driven from city bathing ground." Asbury Park Press , July 8: 1. Capuzzo, Micahel. 2001. Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in An Age of Innocence. New York, NY: Broadway Books. Central New Jersey Home News. 1916. "Man and two boys fall victims to new raid of shark in Matawan Creek." Central New Jersey Home News , July 13: 1. Florida Museum of Natural History. 2024. Yearly Worldwide Shark Attack Summary. Accessed July 30, 2025. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/yearly-worldwide-summary/ . Morning Call. 14916. "Swimmer mangled by shark at sea dies in two hours." Morning Call (Paterson, NJ) , July 4: 7. New York Times. 1916. "Human bones found in shark's stomach." New York Times , July 16: 5. —. 1916. "Many hunt sharks." New York Times , July 9: 3. —. 1916. "Many see sharks, but all get away." New York Times , July 14: 1. —. 1916. "Shark guards out at beach resorts." New York Times , July 8: 18. The Times. 1916. "Creek yields body of boy shark slew." The Times (Trenton, NJ) , July 14: 1. Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022) Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023) Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.