A 12-year-old Australian boy was fighting for his life after suffering catastrophic injuries in a shark attack in Sydney Harbour. He only survived because his friends jumped off a cliff and dragged him back to shore, authorities said.
The attack happened about 4.20pm on Sunday after the boy jumped from a six-metre ledge known as Jump Rock near Shark Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburb of Vaucluse, police said in a statement. Police said the boy suffered serious injuries to both legs from what was believed to be “a large shark.”
His three friends immediately jumped into the water and pulled him to shore. Authorities say the actions likely saved his life.
“The actions of his comrades in entering the water to pull him out were nothing but courageous,” said Chief Inspector Joseph McNulty of the New South Wales Police Marine Area Command, calling the injuries “very confronting” for the young rescuers.
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A ferry sails past a closed beach at Vaucluse in Sydney, Monday, January 19, 2026, a day after a boy was attacked by a shark. (Sitthixay Ditthavong/AAP image via AP)
According to local media, the boy lost both legs in the attack.
“He now faces the fight of his life, and the actions of emergency services yesterday gave him that opportunity,” said McNulty.
A net enters Sydney Harbor on a closed beach at Vaucluse in Sydney, Monday January 19, 2026. (Sitthixay Ditthavong/AAP image via AP)
The attack was one of three shark encounters reported in the Sydney area in just over 24 hours.
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On Monday evening, a surfer in his 20s was bitten on the leg by a shark at North Steyne Beach in the northern suburb of Manly. Bystanders pulled him from the water and he was taken to a hospital in critical condition, police said.
Earlier Monday, an 11-year-old boy escaped unharmed after a shark bit his surfboard at Dee Why Beach, also north of Manly.
Authorities believe bull sharks, like the one pictured above, may have been responsible for at least two of the shark attacks. Police said the 12-year-old boy’s injuries were consistent with those of “a very large shark.” (Luis Javier Sandoval/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, file)
Authorities believe bull sharks may be responsible for at least the first two attacks. Police said recent heavy rains have increased murky freshwater discharge into Sydney Harbour, conditions known to increase bull shark activity.
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Sydney’s northern beaches, including North Steyne and Dee Why, remained closed as a precaution. All three locations have shark nets, although officials said it was not immediately clear whether the attacks occurred near those barriers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
