Excerpt njhm.com
Charles Van Sant, a 23 year-old vacationer for Philadelphia could not wait to enjoy the refreshing waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The train ride that had brought him and his family to Beach Haven had been much too long and much too hot, and Van Sant had made his way to the beach within an hour of their arrival. He swam out about one hundred yards and then leisurely began to make his way back to shore, occasionally swimming but just as often riding the waves.
He was within fifty feet of shore when other bathers in shallower water noticed a large shadow following him. They shouted warnings to him, but he failed to hear them and remained blissfully unaware of the danger until suddenly he felt something grasp his legs.
On the shore, Alexander Ott, a former Olympic swimmer, could see Van Sant disappear beneath the surf and a large red stain growing in the water. He dove into the ocean and quickly swam to where he had last seen the injured Van Sant. As he reached the spot, Ott could saw the black body and fin of the attacker in the water nearby. At first it seemed as if was moving towards him, but it veered off and raced out to sea.
Ott found the unconscious Van Sant and dragged him to shore, but there was nothing that could be done. His life ebbed away on the beach. Both legs had been severely mangled.