Swimmers returned to Manasquan Beach in New Jersey on Sunday after officials cleared more than 60 syringes that washed ashore over the weekend.
The popular coastal destination was closed to swimmers on Saturday after a beachgoer spotted five needles on the sand, Mayor Michael Mangan said.
While the dry sand area remained open, authorities prohibited swimming while search crews swept the shoreline for additional syringes. Crews recovered dozens of needles during the sweep, notifying county health officials as the operation got underway.
The cleanup effort focused exclusively on the southern end of the beach, leaving the northern stretch untouched.
Multiple agencies responded to the incident, including the Manasquan Office of Emergency Management, the Monmouth County Health Department, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
"Manasquan OEM, Monmouth County Health Department, and the New Jersey DEP are managing a debris incident involving 60+ syringes washing ashore," officials said in a Facebook statement.
Syringes prompt ocean swimming ban
Officials did not disclose where the needles came from or how they ended up washing ashore along the coast. After monitoring the beach through two high-tide cycles early Sunday morning, authorities reopened the water to swimmers.
Daily Mail reached out to the Monmouth County Health Department for comment on the situation.
Manasquan is a borough located in Monmouth County along the Jersey Shore. The town's year-round population of roughly 6,000 swells to hundreds of thousands of visitors during the summer season as crowds flock to its popular Atlantic beach.
Previous medical waste incidents on New Jersey shore
The weekend discovery is not the first time hazardous medical waste has disrupted tourism along the New Jersey coast. In 2021, medical waste and syringes washed ashore at Ocean Beach, prompting officials to close several nearby beaches.
Officials told ABC7 at the time that home-use, diabetic-type syringes had washed up along the shoreline, forcing the beach closures.
New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette explained that discarded home-use needles frequently enter ocean waters through municipal sewer systems when flushed down toilets. Heavy rainfall can overwhelm combined sewer systems, sending untreated waste spilling into local waterways.
"If folks are flushing needles down the toilet, they end up in the New York-New Jersey Harbor," LaTourette told the outlet. "And then out into the ocean, and then the winds push them onto the beaches."
LaTourette also pushed back against the common public misconception that such syringes are the result of illegal dumping by medical institutions.
