Medical Student Attacked by Multiple Sharks Off New Jersey Coast

The victim, a medical student training for a 26-mile open-water race, reported being struck sequentially by two sharks from opposite sides at a distance of one to three miles offshore, with three sets of fins subsequently observed at the surface — representing an unusually well-documented multiple-shark encounter with strong contemporary sourcing including witness accounts, named attending physicians, and contemporaneous press coverage.

On the evening of August 30, 1960, Richard Chung, a 25-year-old medical student from Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, was conducting a training swim off Ocean City, New Jersey, in preparation for a 26-mile swimming race. Swimming approximately one to three miles offshore in 35 feet of water, Chung was moving at a rapid pace due to time constraints—he had only two and a half hours available before needing to meet a friend on shore. At approximately 5:58 p.m., as Chung turned toward the shore, he observed what he described as "boiling water," indicating active fish feeding in the area. Moments later, he was struck forcefully by a shark, describing the impact as comparable to being tackled in football. A second shark immediately attacked from the opposite direction. Chung managed to strike one shark in the jaw during the encounter. He subsequently observed three sets of shark fins breaking the surface, with one shark approximately 10 feet in length passing nearby. A boardwalk patrolman observed Chung's distress in the water and alerted lifeguards Richard Ciune and Lawrence Stedem, who responded by boat. Upon retrieval, Chung's right leg was found to be severely lacerated. One lifeguard applied a tourniquet immediately. Chung was transported to Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point, New Jersey, where he underwent emergency surgery under the care of Dr. George Godfrey and Dr. V. Earl Johnson, with additional consultation from Dr. William Erb and Dr. Alan Hume of Taylor Hospital. Based on witness descriptions, the attacking shark exhibited a dark gray dorsal surface with cream-colored ventral coloration. Despite the severity of the lacerations extending to the bone, hospital physicians determined that limb amputation would not be necessary, and Chung's condition was listed as satisfactory. This incident occurred less than two weeks after another shark attack nearby at Sea Girt, New Jersey.