Cape Cod beaches closed after shark attack

TRURO, Mass. — Hastily erected signs warned Cape Cod beachgoers to stay out of the water Thursday, a day after a New York man became the first person to be attacked by a shark off the coast of Massachusetts since 2012.

William Lytton, of Scarsdale, New York, was airlifted to a hospital in Boston, where he was being treated for deep puncture wounds to his torso and leg after staggering to shore, dazed and bleeding. The hospital said Lytton, 61, was in serious condition.

Police said Lytton was bitten while wading about 30 yards off Long Nook Beach in Truro. The area is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore.

Massachusetts’ foremost shark expert, Greg Skomal, planned to speak with Lytton and examine his wounds to see if he was bitten by a great white shark. Numerous great white sightings have been reported in the area, which is frequented by seals, on which sharks feed.

Truro was the site of the last shark attack in Massachusetts, when a Colorado man on nearby Ballston Beach suffered a bite that required 47 stitches. The state’s last shark fatality was in 1936.

“They’re there, just as much as the sunrise and sunset,” vacationer Steven McFadden, of Plattsburgh, New York, said as he watched waves break on the deserted beach. “I’ll cool my feet off sometimes, but I’m not going to swim.”

Town officials said the beach would be closed to swimming at least through Friday. Town manager Rae Ann Palmer said several shark sightings were reported Thursday.