Man accused of lying about seeing sharks near Martha's Vineyard
By The Associated Press
EDGARTOWN, Mass. - A 60-year-old man was charged Friday with disorderly conduct for allegedly lying about seeing two great white sharks off the island where the movie "Jaws" was filmed, authorities said.
Edgartown police Chief Paul Condlin said Michael Lopenzo warned people to get out of the water at the Joseph Silva State Beach on Martha's Vineyard Thursday. Lopenzo claimed he had seen two sharks about 6.71 metres long and 1,361 kilograms each while he was working on a fishing boat.
Officials closed the beach, but Condlin said investigators later determined Lopenzo was lying.
When asked by detectives whose boat he was working on, Lopenzo gave the name of a nonexistent boat and owner, Condlin said.
There was no listing for Lopenzo in the town's directory. Condlin said he didn't know whether Lopenzo had an attorney.
A second beach was closed Thursday on the island after lifeguards at South Beach said they might have seen a great white shark.
The beaches were reopened Friday.
In 1974, Steven Spielberg chose Martha's Vineyard for filming the movie "Jaws," depicting a series of deadly great white attacks in the fictional community of Amity.
Shark attacks are extremely rare in waters off New England, but great whites have been known to occasionally prowl in the region.
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