Jahmari Reid was just 16 when he set out on a solo spearfishing trip, which ended tragically
A teenager was decapitated during a terrifying shark attack after going for a solo swim.
Jahmari Reid, 16, had his body recovered off the coast of Jamaica as it was reported that his head was bitten off and his left arm was missing following a suspected shark attack.
He had gone on a spearfishing expedition near the well-known tourist town of Montego Bay, according to local authorities, before he disappeared on Monday (26 August) leading to a desperate search.
Sadly, the boy’s remains were discovered on Tuesday (27 August) morning, with a police report claiming that the boy’s body had injuries consistent with a shark attack, CBS News reports.
High school student Jahmari Reid was just 16 when he died (Handout)
Jahmari’s father, Michael Reid, was present on the beach when divers retrieved his body and brought it to land.
Heart-broken, he told the media as per The Jamaica Observer: “I can’t believe that he went to sea by himself and that was the outcome. Sad to know. I feel so bad.”
Speaking about his son’s spearfishing hobby, he explained that he was always against it: “It is something that we argue about, we fight about.
“He’s not doing it for a worthy cause, he’s not doing it for needs or anything. It is what it is still. Can you believe it?”
Fisherman Christopher Reynolds was also with Jahmari’s father on the beach when his body was recovered, along with a group of local residents.
He revealed that some divers said they’d seen a huge tiger shark in the water shortly before they found Jahmari’s body, but after they found his detached arm.
Locals gathered as the teenager’s body was brought on to land (Handout)
Reynolds further explained: “All of the fisherman went out there and, while they were diving to take him up, they saw the big shark.
“They shot at him but they didn’t get him.”
This incident is the fourth time that an unprovoked shark attack has resulted in a death in Jamaica, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.
President of Falmouth Fisherfolks Benevolent Society, Fritz Christie, stated that it was the first time that a shark had killed in the northwestern Jamaican waters of Trelawny.
He also speculated that the animal could have followed a cruise ship to the bay.
Speaking to local media, Fritz said: “What we have to do is make certain when the ships come to be careful of the diving.
“The shark eat off the man head, eat off one of his hand [sic]. It’s crazy, man.”
Jahmari was a student at William Knibb Memorial High School from Trelawny, with the teenager due to return to school in September following the summer holidays.
Featured Image Credit: Handout
