Setting the Stage: Jaws and 1916 Context

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.

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)

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