Teenager decapitated in brutal shark attack off Jamaican coast

A 16-year-old boy was brutally attacked by a shark while swimming alone off the coast of Jamaica, an extremely rare attack on the Caribbean island, authorities said.

Divers found the decapitated body of Jahmari Reid on Tuesday morning, a day after he went missing during his solo underwater fishing expedition near the popular resort town of Montego Bay.

The teenager was also missing his left arm and the rest of his body was badly mutilated, witnesses told the Jamaica Observer.

“I can’t believe he went out to sea alone yesterday and that was the result. It’s sad to hear that. I feel terrible,” Jahmari’s heartbroken father, Michael Reid, told the local outlet.

A tiger shark was spotted lurking in the tropical waters where Jahmari’s severed arm was found, leading rescue teams to suspect the ocean predator was to blame.

Divers and fishermen tried to shoot the “big shark” but missed, a witness said. Crews hoped to recover Jahmari’s missing head from the fish’s stomach before it was too late.

The high school student was spearfishing alone early Monday morning when the tragedy occurred, according to police.

Jahmari was an avid spearfisherman despite his grieving father’s persistent pleas against the water sport.

“It’s something we argue about, we fight about. It’s not for a good cause, it’s not for needs or anything like that. It’s still the way things are. Can you believe it?” Michael Reid said.

Experts suspect the man-eater was following a cruise ship when he spotted the teenager.

“What we have to do is make sure that when the boats come in, we watch out for the divers. The shark ate the man’s head, it ate one of his hands. It’s crazy,” said Fritz Christie, president of the Falmouth Fishermen’s Benevolent Society.

Shark attacks in Jamaica are extremely rare.

Since 1749, only three unprovoked shark attacks have been reported near the island nation, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.

With post wires