Man Killed in Rare Cape Cod Shark Attack

A 26-year-old man was killed in Cape Cod on Saturday in a rare shark attack on the idyllic beach.

Arthur Medici was at the beach with a group of friends, including his girlfriend’s brother, according to a report by local ABC affiliate WCVB. He was boogie boarding when a shark suddenly attacked him, according to a report by MassLive. His passing is the first shark attack-related fatality in Massachusetts in the past 80 years.

The attack happened around noon on Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet. Medici was reportedly pulled from the water after the shark swam off. First responders gave him CPR. He was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital, but he died there not long after arriving.

“I was that guy on the beach screaming, ‘Shark, shark!’” said Joe Booth, a local fisherman who witnessed the attack and spoke to reporters from the Associated Press. “It was like right out of that movie Jaws. This has turned into Amity Island real quick out here.”

Medici was a Brazil native. He reportedly came to the United States to attend college just two years ago. He was attending Bunker Hill Community College, according to his Facebook page, and lived in Revere, Massachusetts. He was working at the Capital Grille in Burlington.

Medici’s friends told reporters that he was “sweet and humble.” He was an avid surfer, and loved to spend time on the beach whenever possible. His Facebook page is linked to several surfing and bodyboarding pages.

While he is the first fatality in some time, Medici was actually the second shark attack victim in Massachusetts this summer. The first was a 61-year-old man who was attack in Truro back in August. He reportedly fought off the shark, and remains in a Boston hospital recovering from serious injuries.

The last recorded death from a shark attack in the state was on July 25, 1936. The victim was 16-year-old Joseph Troy.

Locals were devastated by the news of Medici’s passing. Wellfleet officials and other locals posted messages of mourning and condolence on social media.

“The Town of Wellfleet is heartbroken by this tragedy,” said town administrator Dan Hoort in a statement. “We send our sympathies to his family and the friends of this young man. We share the grief and pain you feel. We are grateful to the family, friends, beach staff, public and first responders who worked so valiantly to save his life. Everyone who lives in and visits Wellfleet is part of the Wellfleet community. Today we lost a member of our community and we grieve his passing.”