Footage has gone viral appearing to show a shark swimming through floodwaters on a street in Surf City, New Jersey, after a powerful nor'easter battered the region, leaving over 130,000 homes without power.
The clip, shared by News 12, shows the shark in the flooded area as the storm caused major disruption across coastal communities. Many viewers questioned whether the footage was real, while others wondered where the shark was headed.
Social Media Reacts to Viral Shark Sighting
One user on X wrote: "The legendary street shark hoax finally became real in 2026." Another added: "Imagine looking out your window during a flood and seeing a SHARK." A third commented: "A SHARK was spotted swimming through the floodwaters in Surf City, New Jersey! The flooding just took a terrifying turn… you never know what’s lurking beneath the water."
The footage has since gone viral, with many posting lyrics to the children's song "Baby Shark" by PinkFong, writing "BABY SHARK DO DO DO DO DO DO."
Storm Impact and Power Outages
The slow-moving storm killed a New York City housing authority worker when a tree fell on Saturday (September 26). It was expected to linger through Sunday with heavy rain, strong winds, and dangerous surf from New Jersey to New England.
Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, said the storm remained just south of Long Island and east of northern New Jersey on Sunday morning and was expected to loop around the area for roughly another 24 hours. "The most impactful parts of the storm are likely going to be the high winds and the tidal flooding," Oravec said.
More than 130,000 customers were without power across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic Sunday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. The most widespread outages were along the New Jersey shore, New York's Long Island, and coastal counties in Connecticut. Toppled trees across Long Island damaged homes and cars, blocked streets, and downed numerous utility lines.
Flooding, Rescues, and Travel Disruption
On Saturday in New Jersey and New York, some people kayaked down flooded streets, while others headed to beaches to surf the higher-than-usual waves. Emergency crews in Sea Bright, New Jersey, rescued a woman and her dog after their vehicle became trapped in floodwaters, ABC7 reported.
In Surf City, water rose inside a marina where workers had moved equipment to higher ground, and owner Kenny Formica said customers reported boats and Jet Skis missing or blown from their lifts. In Norfolk, Virginia, floodwaters left passing cars pushing wakes through some streets.
The storm also disrupted travel throughout the region. Hundreds of flights were cancelled at Boston Logan International Airport, while flooding cut off highway access to North Carolina's Hatteras Island, stranding visitors and forcing one couple to scramble to relocate their wedding after most of their roughly 45 guests were unable to reach the island.
