Off-duty policeman jumps in to save boy from close encounter with shark

A video taken by a bystander showed a shark fin cutting through the water's surface as it went towards the child who was floating on a surfboard.

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Many on social media lauded the officer for risking his own life to save the boy. (Representational image/Pixabay, Cocoa Beach Police & Fire/Facebook)

Police officer Adrian Kosicki was walking along a Florida beach with his wife when he saw a shark approaching the boy who was floating on a board. Without wasting any time, the off-duty cop pulled the little boy towards the shore as the shark got dangerously close.

In the video taken by another bystander on the beach, that was shared by the Cocoa Beach Police department, showed a shark fin cutting through the water’s surface as it swims toward the child.

“Hey, buddy! Hey, there’s a shark right there,” a bystander says before another one shouts, “There he is!”

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The officer and the boy were unharmed and the shark was seen swimming away from the beach.

Watch the video here:

“We’re certainly not marine biologists, educated and trained to differentiate between the various species of sharks, their respective feeding habits, and aggressiveness near swimmers,” the Cocoa Beach Police Department wrote in a statement. “We just do what we do best—protect the public from harm.”

“Thanks to Adrian, we’ll never know what that shark’s intentions were, and that little boy will forever have a pretty cool story to tell. Great job!” the department wrote.

People on social media praised the officer for acting quickly. Some said the tail resembled that of a white shark, a species that has been known to attack humans swimming near beaches.