Matawan Shark Attacks July 1916

I actually should call this page the New Jersey Shark attacks. Since there was 3 sites of attacks those 10 days.

First Attack was on July, 2 Charles VanZant was swimming leisurely on his way back to the beach, when he got to about 100 yards from shore he was struck. As people on shore watched in horror they could see the dorsal fin of the shark. Which seemed to be a big shark.

 The water turned red, around him. A brave rescuer  made his way to get VanZant. Bringing him to shore where upon 24 yr old, Charles VanZant died. Do to shock and the lack of blood coming from his badly damaged legs.

There were other accounts as to what did happen that day. 

That he was in 5 ft of water 40 feet away from other people in the water. In shoulder deep water , that he began yelling and the people cold see the shark and started a chain to help save him. AS well was said that the shark was still attached to his leg(s) until it let go when he was just in 18 inches of water. That the shark was a bluish-grey in color and about 10 ft long

4 days later    at Spring Lake, New Jersey making this the 6th of July 1916

This happening 45 miles from where VanZant was attacked. A man by the name of Charles Pruder was fatally attacked a ways from the lifeline (he was a very good swimmer)

A woman screamed when she seen him disappear in the water  leaving a red spot in the water. Thinking g this was a man in a red canoe going down. But had seen the shark near the man in the red area. This scream of hers  has alarmed the lifeguards. They reach him by boat. They reach Pruder, he tells them "shark-got me and bit off my legs"

Dieing at age 28, shock and blood loss. Do to his left foot and lower leg were missing and his right leg badly torn and bitten off between knee and ankle.  A portion of his abdomen on right side and the remaining left leg below the knee was lacking of flesh and he had deep gashes above the left knee. 

A very much liked man will be missed. He worked at the hotel a lot of the patrons enjoyed being around him         

In Memory of the people who died those tragic 10 days

Matawan New Jersey, The afternoon of July 12

Matawan is 25 miles from where Pruder was attacked. Its link to the Atlantic Ocean is thru a tidal creek about 35 ft across at its widest part. And about 10-15 miles away...which goes its way about 2 miles before emptying into Raritan Bay..

There are reports that more then one person had seen a shadow in the water earlier in the day. One report said a old sea captain was on the bridge and seen it. Another said that 3 men on a bridge seen the shadow roughly 1 1/2 miles down stream. Either way, a shadow of a shark was observed and was taken lightly.( Since this was fresh water, and a very narrow stream.  what shark could get there) 

The afternoon was a very hot one. Lester Stilwell got the afternoon off  to go swimming at the well used swimming hole which was the creek, with a few of his friends. While there one boy, Rennie Cartan aged 14 dove into the water and came up with a scratch on his chest, with blood. Telling his friends they should get out that a shark or something is in there. Even he soon forgot about this and again went back in.

 Soon there after Lester yells to a friend(11 yr old Albert O'Hara) to watch him. This is when the friend was climbing out of the water, and felt something bang into his leg. Looking down to see a large tail of a fish. His friend Van Burnt also sees it describing it as black above but having a white belly with enormous pearly teeth. Which then started to turn towards his friend. Lester screams, and the poor boy's  watch in terror, their friend being taken under the water by something and the blood making its way to the surface. Everyone getting out of the water  and running for help.

The towns people come running to the creek, some in boats and others diving into the murky water. Non knowing at this point that there was a shark or what did happen to the boy. By the time Stanley Fisher got there. All knew there was a shark in the water. He helped the men string up the chicken wire to trap the shark, where Lester had gone under. He then dove under to search the deep spots he knew were in the creek. 

There are varying accounts as to what happens next. One is, he repeatedly dove in the deep spot. then came a thrashing in the water and he surfaced in the rapidly stain of blood. Half crouching in waist deep water, tottering on one leg while holding what was left of his right leg  in his hands. In a boat a rescuer grabs him as he was falling front wards, holding him while the boat made for shore.

The flesh from his right leg  the knee to the  groin had been stripped. In the hospital that night  Stanley Fisher died. But not before telling  that he had indeed reached the body of Lester and that he had been trying to get it out of the mouth of the shark..

Another account was that Fisher had surfaced from a dive with the body of Lester in his arms and while making his way to shore he was struck from behind  by the shark and pulled under. It was said tat Fisher had felt the nip on his leg and when looking down saw the shark clinging to him.

Just as the towns people were to make an effort to blow up the shark by dynamiting the creek,  a boat came into view carrying a boy (Joseph Dunn) that had been attacked down stream by a shark and his right leg was badly damaged.  

Joseph Dunn and a few friends were swimming a half mile down stream, when the warning that a shark was in the creek came. Dunn was the last one out of the water when just before he cleared the water something grabbed his right leg. Kicked the water and screaming to free his leg. The others boys (one being his brother) helped to free his leg from the shark. As suddenly as the shark grabbed him it let go and vanished.

The accounts after this are unclear on Joseph Dunn. One account says his leg was so damaged it had to be amputated. The other account has it that he had gotten to keep his leg and got full use of it back..

Pictures of Matawan Creek and Areas, where shark was seen or had attacked

Matawan Draw Bridge	Railroad Trestle
Wyckoff dock at low tide.(10 ft from old dock I think I see a dorsal fin!! in this pic)	Wyckoff dock High Tide (where Lester Stilwell was swimming during the attack!!!

Within 10 days of attacks                        Matawan Creek map