Hero risked his own life to dive into the water to try to save a 16-year-old girl who was mauled by a shark – as a witness describes watching the horrific attack unfold in front of the teen’s friends
- The 16-year-old teenager swam with a pod of dolphins
- She was then horribly mauled by a shark in the water
- Hero jumped in to pull her out of the water but she died
A hero put his own life on the line by jumping into a river to save a young girl who was mauled by a shark.
The 16-year-old girl, who was not named, is believed to be jet skiing with her friends when she spotted a pod of dolphins and dived into the Swan River in North Fremantle in Western Australia.
She was swimming with the dolphins around 3:30pm on Saturday when she was attacked by the shark – while her horrified friends looked on.
Witnesses told police that a man bravely jumped into the water to pull the teenager out, calling him a “hero,” but paramedics were unable to save them.
A local who saw the 16-year-old mauled by a suspected bull shark said she heard people scream before the man jumped in.
The girl’s family and friends were seen in a state of shock walking near the river after she was pulled out.
Witnesses told police that a man bravely jumped into the water to pull the tragic teenager out. However, rescue workers could not save her
A local who saw the 16-year-old mauled by a suspected bull shark said she heard people scream before the man jumped in
Rescue services, including police boats, rushed to the scene near the Fremantle Traffic Bridge and she was pulled from the water with serious leg injuries.
Amid a spate of reports, WA Police initially thought she may have been injured by a boat propeller.
Acting Fremantle Borough Inspector Paul Robinson described the incident as “traumatic”.
“It is an extremely traumatic event for everyone involved and everyone who knew the young girl, so I will not go into the extent of the injuries.
“It’s unusual for a shark to be that far downstream… an alert was issued at that point, a shark alert, just to let people know that this incident took place.
“What we were told at friends on the river were on jet skis, a pod of dolphins may have been seen nearby and the young woman jumped into the water to swim near the dolphins.”
The teenager is believed to have bitten his leg in the Swan River at a traffic bridge in North Fremantle
WA Police said they received a triple zero call around 3:30 p.m. and emergency services rushed to the scene
Police did not go into details about their injuries or confirm what species of shark was involved in the attack.
It’s the first deadly shark attack in the Swan River in a century.
WA Police said they received a triple zero call around 3.30pm and emergency services rushed to the scene in North Freemantle.
She is said to have originally fought for her life, but has since passed away.
She is said to have originally fought for her life, but has since passed away
The Department of Basic Industries and Regional Development confirmed on Saturday afternoon that they are currently investigating a report of a “possible shark bite”.
“DPIRD is working with local authorities and more information will be provided as it becomes available,” a spokesman said.
The only confirmed fatal attack in the Swan River was on January 31, 1923.
In that attack, 13-year-old Scotch College student Charles Robinson was killed after being manhandled while swimming twenty feet from shore in Freshwater Bay, near his school’s boat shed.
Acting Fremantle Borough Inspector Paul Robinson described the incident as “traumatic”.