No, a saltwater crocodile wasn’t caught in Long Beach Island
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Fake news has struck the Jersey Shore.
A bogus “report” circulating about a crocodile swimming off Long Beach Island’s Ship Bottom has prompted a response from police.
The story from channel23news.com, a website that allows users to “create a prank,” said a 17-foot long salt water crocodile was caught Sunday morning off Ship Bottom.
The fake story was accompaned by an image of what appears to be a crocodile swimming along the crest of a wave.
But the Ship Bottom Police Department said in a Facebook posting that it’s untrue.
“Someone’s spreading rumors about us…. Don’t believe everything you read!” the police posting states.
According to a search inquiry on Facebook, the bogus report was shared more than 8,000 times as of late Sunday afternoon.
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