A 15-year-old girl who was brutally mauled in an apparent shark attack has recalled the incident saying her "whole foot was in its mouth" as the beast bit her.
Maggie Drozdowski was surfing at Stone Harbor beach in New Jersey and described how she was dangling from her surfboard with her body in the water when she felt something on her leg.
Speaking to WPVI, she said she was "about 50 feet in" and she "couldn't touch the ground". She was in the water with her friend Sarah O'Donnell and her brother when the incident happened.
"I thought it was just a crab pinching my foot," she recalled, "but if felt bigger than that.
"My whole foot was in its mouth. I was shaking my foot as hard as I could. It was hard. It was like really heavy."
The whole ordeal lasted around five seconds according to Maggie, and afterwards she managed to paddle herself back to shore.
Sarah was nearby and saw the incident unfold. "I thought she was drowning because she got pulled under and she came up and screamed again like, 'I think something bit me! I think something bit me!'"said Sarah.
After she paddled herself back to shore, Maggie attempted to walk. But said she immediately felt pain.
"I immediately felt the pain in my foot," she recalled. "I looked at the back of my leg and there was a big chunk of skin missing from the back of my leg!"
Maggie was taken to the nearby Cape Regional Medical Center where she received six stitches for lacerations to her left foot.
Maggie never saw what exactly bit her, but after marine wildlife experts examined what happened, Stone Harbor officials say Maggie's injuries appear consistent with a shark bite.
"The sharks know the difference between their prey," said marine science professor at Stockton University Steve Nagiewicz.
Professor Nagiewicz agrees that Maggie's injuries are consistent with those from a bite from a small shark - one that probably didn't intend to bite a human.
He explained that the only time people come into the mix is when they're in the water along with the food the shark is looking for. "In this case," he said, "the young girl who got bit was just in the wrong place, wrong time."
Professor Nagiewicz said with waters warming up, more sharks have been found off the coast of New Jersey looking for food. With officials now urging beachgoers to use caution ahead of a busy Memorial Day weekend (Saturday May 27 - Monday May 29).
Maggie and her family will be looking to spend more time on dry land, at least this summer. "I can't imagine never going in the ocean again," Maggie laughed, "but probably not this summer."
Mayor Judy Davies-Dunhour said in a statement after the incident: "Stone Harbor remains a beloved and popular destination for beachgoers near and far. The local police and fire departments are fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of both residents and tourists.
"They are taking appropriate measures to thoroughly assess the situation and provide necessary updates to the public."
