SHOCKING footage shows a beachgoer wrestling with a shark as he grabs it by the tail and drags it back into the sea.
The shark was accidentally hooked on a fishing rod and pulled out of the water in New Jersey, US.
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Stunned onlookers caught the bizarre ordeal on camera and posted the clip on Instagram.
The dramatic video shows the brave beachgoer holding onto the shark’s tail after he caught it while fishing.
The hook appeared to have gotten stuck inside the shark’s mouth which led to it being dragged out of the water.
As people watched the encounter, someone commented that it wasn’t a white shark.
Another witness could be heard saying: “You need to get it back in the water before it dies.”
The man was then seen tussling with the beast on the coast as he tried to hurl it back into the ocean.
He momentarily lost his tight grip as the agitated shark wiggled and it looked as though it would bite its rescuer.
But the beachgoer quickly jumped away before the animal calmed down and gave in, allowing the man to save him.
The shark was then seen swimming away while relieved onlookers called the incident “crazy”.
A young fisherman was spotted at the end of the clip still holding onto his fishing rod.
The shocking incident took place in Wildwood – a resort city where shark sightings have been on the rise.
Rich Weddle, a curator at the Sea Life New Jersey Aquarium, told New Jersey 101.5 that warmer water has boosted shark activity in the area.
The mild temperatures allow for plankton and nutrients to thrive which in turn attract fish.
Increased numbers of fish have led to sharks flocking to the Jersey shore in search for food.
Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916
THE shore of New Jersey was terrorised by a series of shark attacks in summer of 1916.
Between July 1 and 12, the “man-eating” shark horror swept across the coastal state.
The terrifying events claimed lives of four people with one victim sustaining critical injuries.
It is thought that the great white shark and the bull shark were responsible for the horror.
The first attack was recorded when a 23-year-old vacationer from Philadelphia decided to take a swim in the Atlantic.
Charles Vansant began screaming for help soon after entering the water, and was pulled out by a lifeguard.
Vansant bled to death shortly after at the hotel he was staying at.
Charles Bruder, 27, was mauled to death by a shark who bit off his abdomen and severed his legs.
According to The New York Times, “women [were] panic-stricken [and fainted] as [Bruder’s] mutilated body … [was] brought ashore.”
Bruder’s horrifying death was followed by three more attacks in less than a week.
The deadly incidents caused an uproar and a widespread panic that led to shark hunts aimed at erasing the population of the beasts.
Resort towns installed steel nets to protect swimmers from shark attacks while scientists were forced to reassess their common beliefs about the animal.
Sharks subsequently became a caricature symbolising danger in American pop culture.
Weddle said: “We’ve done a very good job of controlling fisheries so we’ve seen the recovery of fish spots and even seal population levels, which are important prey for many species of sharks.”
Another fisherman had a less fortunate outcome when he encountered the sea beast.
Marlin Wakeman, from Florida, was mauled by a shark after he slipped off a dock, plunging into shark-infested waters and being dragged underwater.
The 24-year-old has revealed that it felt like he was being punched as razor sharp teeth pierced his flesh, but he feels “lucky” to be alive.
Earlier this year, a British tourist was left fighting for his life after the shark left him with horror wounds to his hand, thigh and stomach.
Peter Smith, 64, was savagely mauled by the 10ft bull shark in the Caribbean as desperate beachgoers waded through the crimson water to fight off the beast.
It comes as a giant 15ft shark’s mangled carcass was found washed up on South Africa’s Eastern Cape on May 28.
The largest predatory fish in the world had just devoured a dolphin in four bites when it was suddenly attacked by a much larger creature in a brutal underwater brawl.
Its remains were photographed and uploaded to social media by marine biologist Alison Towner, who also confirmed the second carcass as “a freshly consumed” 6ft 6in common dolphin.
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