New York Woman Killed in First-Ever Fatal Maine Shark Attack

A shark swims in the ocean.
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Nearby kayakers brought Julie Dimperio Holowach to shore, where she was pronounced dead.

A woman from New York City was killed off the coast of Maine by a shark, officials said

Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, was swimming off the shore of Bailey Island Monday when cops say a witness saw her being attacked by a shark, the Maine Department of Marine Resources said.

Nearby kayakers brought Dimperio Holowach to shore where she was pronounced dead. 

John Whyte witnessed the attack after spotting Dimperio Holowach and who the Boston Globe identified as her daughter paddle out about 20 yards from shore when “one of them dipped under the water.” The daughter quickly swam to shore and yelled for help, the Globe reported.

“It is all very surreal,” Whyte told the Globe.

Dimperio Holowach’s death is the first of its kind in Maine’s recorded history. It remains unclear as to what type of shark killed the woman.

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