Hundreds of hypodermic needles mysteriously washed onto a beach, and officials Saturday were forced to close the milelong stretch to swimmers at the sweltering start of the Labor Day holiday weekend.
The first needles began washing in with the tide around 6 p.m., Friday, at Jacob Riis Park, and a beachgoer alerted authorities, National Parks Service spokesman Manny Strumpf said. By mid-Saturday about 500 used hypodermic needles and medicine vials had floated onto the beach, he said.While sunbathing was allowed, swimming and wading were prohibited Saturday because of the needles. Beachgoers had to wait until Sunday to find out if they could take a dip during the remainder of the weekend, Strumpf said.
The closing of the beach in the borough of Queens followed a steaming hot week in the city.
In hopes of tracking down the source of the debris, park and state environmental officials studied the labels and markings on some of the needles and vials.
In the summer of 1988, Riis was among numerous beaches closed from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico due to a plague of ocean-borne medical waste.
Strumpf said the source of that waste was never discovered.
"After three years of beautiful beaches, it is a shame that the last weekend of summer will be marred," said a statement from Keven Buckley, the general superintendent of Gateway National Recreation Area, which encompasses Riis.
The park is named for the photojournalist who crusaded for housing reform and recreational facilities for the poor in the late 19th century.
About 600,000 people this season already have been to the beach, the only national seashore in New York City. About 20,000 to 40,000 people had been expected to come to the beach this holiday weekend, Strumpf said.