Shark Swims Through Floodwaters in New Jersey Amid Nor'easter

A resident of Surf City, New Jersey, captured footage of a small shark swimming through the flooded streets of his neighborhood on Saturday. The unusual sight occurred as a powerful nor'easter brought heavy rainfall and significant flooding to the East Coast.

Drew Procaccino, the resident who filmed the encounter, initially mistook the creature for a fish before noticing its dorsal fin. The video shows the shark, identified as a dogfish shark by Dr. Greg Skomal, a white shark expert with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, swimming in the muddy floodwaters. "These baby sharks are common to areas close to the western Atlantic Ocean. They are harmless because they do not have sharp teeth," Skomal told ABC News.

Procaccino told Storyful that the shark was seen around his home at noon before briefly disappearing and was later observed heading west towards Barnegat Bay.

The nor'easter caused at least seven inches of rain in New Jersey over three days, leading to the overflow of Deal Lake and washing numerous boats ashore. High winds also contributed to damage, with NJ Transit suspending service on the North Jersey Coast Line due to fallen trees. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a no-fly order for departures from Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday because of strong winds.

Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency across eight New Jersey counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Salem. "This nor’easter is expected to bring damaging winds, heavy rain, significant coastal flooding, and resulting beach erosion, with these eight counties facing the greatest risk," Sherrill stated, urging residents to take the storm seriously. The storm resulted in one fatality and four injuries, including children, due to falling trees.