Woman Thought She'd 'Seen It All' Until She Saw a Shark on a NYC Subway

Passengers riding on a Queens-bound N train in New York City Wednesday were shocked to discover a dead shark underneath one of the seats, according to multiple reports.  There are few surprises left on New York City subways, but this seems to be a first.

"I thought it was just a plush toy or a prank," passenger Juan Cano told CNN. "When I saw the teeth that's I knew it was real, it was no toy."

Isvett Verde, who took a number of pictures of the creature, told NBC 4 New York that the car smelled "extremely fishy," adding: "I mean, I thought I'd seen it all, but even that was a bit much...I have no idea how it got there or how long it had been there."

(Photo: Isvett Verde via NBC 4 New York)

Gothamist also posted pictures it received of people posing next to the shark.  It seems the creature was "decorated," so to speak, with an energy drink near one fin, a metro card beneath the other, and a cigarette near its mouth.

A man named Juan Cano said he and his friends were the ones who gave the shark the card, "in case it needed to transfer."

NBC 4 continues:

The MTA said the conductor ordered riders out of the car at Queensboro Plaza, and when the train arrived at the end of the line, the shark was placed in a garbage bag and put in the trash.

The MTA said the car was inspected and returned to service.

There was no word on how the shark ended up on the train, which originated on Surf Avenue, in Coney Island.

"We don't know where it came from. We don't know how it got there," said Adam Lisberg, an MTA spokesman. "We assume it didn't get on on its own, it needed to be brought on by a human. Something's fishy about this."

The network noted that there are actually laws against owning certain types of sharks, and bringing them on trains unless they are in certain containers.

Some have speculated that the recent shark-related mysteries may have something to do with Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, but the network denies any involvement.

"Shark Week is all about conservation, so it deeply saddens us that someone would think that this was funny or in any way connected to our celebration of sharks," network spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg commented.

NewsFix has more on the bizarre story:

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