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    Shark Spotted in Hudson River?

    October 2, 2025 | 2:40 PM
    in ABSURDITY, OUTDOORS
    37
    Courtesy photo.

    By Gus Saltonstall

    At first glance, a shark was spotted Wednesday afternoon in the Hudson River, but upon second look, it appears to be some sort of strange sculpture.

    “Spotted in Riverside Park! Just south of Pier I,” a tipster emailed in.

    The scene seems to show a woman on a surfboard with a fishing rod standing over a shark. The figures were photographed just south of Pier I in Riverside Park South near West 70th Street.

    When you zoom in on the photo, though, it becomes more apparent that the figures are fake.

    Courtesy photo.

    West Side Rag visited the location Thursday morning to see if the phony person and shark were still there, but the installation was gone.

    If anybody knows the backstory, please let us know in the comments.

    Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.

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    Leave a comment

    Please limit comments to 150 words and keep them civil and relevant to the article at hand. Comments are closed after six days. Our primary goal is to create a safe and respectful space where a broad spectrum of voices can be heard. We welcome diverse viewpoints and encourage readers to engage critically with one another’s ideas, but never at the expense of civility. Disagreement is expected—even encouraged—but it must be expressed with care and consideration. Comments that take cheap shots, escalate conflict, or veer into ideological warfare detract from the constructive spirit we aim to cultivate. A detailed statement on comments and WSR policy can be read here.

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    37 Comments
    Flo
    Flo
    1 year ago

    Strange indeed. And unnecessary

    9
    Reply
    Barbara E. Morgan
    Barbara E. Morgan
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Flo

    Does everything have to be “necessary?”

    1
    Reply
    Dan V.
    Dan V.
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Flo

    Weird! Someone on this site has a problem with something so trivial. A first for sure.

    3
    Reply
    neighbor
    neighbor
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Flo

    Nonsense, it’s delightful!

    14
    Reply
    Curmudgeon
    Curmudgeon
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Flo

    You seem fun

    15
    Reply
    Henry
    Henry
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Flo

    You’re gonna need a bigger sense of humor.

    26
    Reply
    RCP
    RCP
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Henry

    Well done.

    0
    Reply
    Sal Bando
    Sal Bando
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Flo

    What’s really necessary after all?

    14
    Reply
    Cats lady
    Cats lady
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Flo

    Boooo fun

    6
    Reply
    Flo
    Flo
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Cats lady

    For those under 5 it’s sure is.

    5
    Reply
    MDW
    MDW
    1 year ago

    I was more interested in the dorsal in in the middle of the first image.

    4
    Reply
    Carlos
    Carlos
    1 year ago

    Shark Week is in July – lousy timing. But I think Shark Week has jumped the shark anyway…

    3
    Reply
    Carmella Ombrella
    Carmella Ombrella
    1 year ago

    Take your pick: An artist with an interesting sense of humor. Or a joker playing with AI, not too convincingly.

    Last edited 1 year ago by Carmella Ombrella
    3
    Reply
    GoRangers
    GoRangers
    1 year ago

    It’s probably part of a series of installations. There’s one of a bear by Columbia ( West side of Broadway, around 114-116 streets).

    4
    Reply
    neighbor
    neighbor
    1 year ago
    Reply to  GoRangers

    Cool, is that still there?

    0
    Reply
    Getreal
    Getreal
    1 year ago

    It’s a promotion for Columbia sportswear. There was a bear in front of Tom’s as well!

    3
    Reply
    Ped Astel
    Ped Astel
    1 year ago

    LEGALIZE COMEDY!!!

    9
    Reply
    ecm
    ecm
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Ped Astel

    One hears comedy, along with free speech, is thriving in Saudi Arabia….

    1
    Reply
    Ped Astel
    Ped Astel
    1 year ago
    Reply to  ecm

    you get cancelled here (Colbert) or there (Kashoggi)

    Last edited 1 year ago by Ped Astel
    2
    Reply
    Lisa
    Lisa
    1 year ago
    Reply to  ecm

    Highly compensated, too.

    1
    Reply
    ecm
    ecm
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Lisa

    Indeed! It’s a veritable other Eden, a demi-paradise, where one can even yap one’s head off about Charlie Kirk (maybe they haven’t heard of him there?) at liberty. Granted, trash-talking the royals can get one disemboweled or indentured, but it’s a small price to pay, right?
    Hmm, wonder whether they’re accepting deportees.

    0
    Reply
    D M
    D M
    1 year ago
    Reply to  ecm

    Omg… what a dreadful comment. But very typical for this commentator.

    3
    Reply
    ecm
    ecm
    11 months ago
    Reply to  D M

    It’s easy to brand someone else’s comment as dreadful; it’s not so easy to leave a dreadful comment yourself. So congratulations.

    0
    Reply
    Westside Billy 🤠
    Westside Billy 🤠
    1 year ago

    Totally unnecessary! 👎

    6
    Reply
    Ish K abibble
    Ish K abibble
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Westside Billy 🤠

    Your comment?😛

    2
    Reply
    Dan V.
    Dan V.
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Westside Billy 🤠

    You’re so sad

    3
    Reply
    Anna
    Anna
    1 year ago

    “What looked like a shark in the Hudson River, ended up being some sort of strange installation.”

    What a completely NYC news item.

    6
    Reply
    neighbor
    neighbor
    1 year ago

    That’s delightful, why was it removed?

    5
    Reply
    Hannah Brown
    Hannah Brown
    1 year ago

    I’ve been looking for a shark in that river my whole life. Guess I’m not the only one.

    2
    Reply
    Roger Maltby
    Roger Maltby
    1 year ago

    ai – how utterly absurd, a complete waste of time

    4
    Reply
    Ish K abibble
    Ish K abibble
    1 year ago
    Reply to  Roger Maltby

    The time it took you to post this? If it was indeed AI, wouldn’t it look more real?

    Last edited 1 year ago by Ish K abibble
    2
    Reply
    Pat W
    Pat W
    1 year ago

    There’s a contradiction in your article: is it AI or” a structure that was there and removed. ” I don’t understand. I zoomed in and I don’t see anything that would indicate AI or not but I’m not an expert on spotting AI.
    I’d like to know what you see when you zoom in that would indicate either of the above. Thx

    4
    Reply
    julia davis
    julia davis
    1 year ago

    Probably a relative of the woman spotted leaving dead chickens on West End.

    1
    Reply
    Jolene Donner
    Jolene Donner
    1 year ago

    Maybe that phony person , fishing pole, and shark will show up in other locations this beautiful Fall.

    3
    Reply
    Tee
    Tee
    1 year ago

    AI.

    1
    Reply
    Carol
    Carol
    1 year ago

    Love it. Keep NYC weird.

    2
    Reply
    Marty
    Marty
    1 year ago

    Because the halocline shifts as far north as West Point it is not unusual for bull sharks to follow the brackish water as far as it goes. While they may not be sighted scientists tell that they are there.

    2
    Reply

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