Perth man labelled a ‘true hero’ for attempted rescue of 16-year-old girl who was mauled by shark in North Fremantle

Police confirmed the 16-year-old girl was on jet skis with friends near Fremantle Traffic Bridge when she jumped into the Swan River to swim near a pod of dolphins.

At about 3:30pm she was attacked by a shark and suffered significant injuries to her leg. 

According to The West Australian, several witnesses told Police that upon hearing horrifying screams a man promptly dived into the water to pull the girl out, with locals describing him as a “hero”.

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Emergency services rushed to the riverbank in North Fremantle but were unable to save the teenage girl’s life.

Fremantle District Acting Inspector Paul Robinson confirmed that the shark that caused the “traumatic” attack is yet to be located.

“Unfortunately we have no idea what shark it is,” Inspector Robinson said on Saturday.

“From what I’ve been advised her family weren’t there when the attack took place but her friends were.

“As you can imagine, this is an extremely traumatic incident for anyone to witness.”

Locals were rattled by the unexpected attack which Inspector Robinson said was “unusual” for the river.

“It is unusual for a shark to be that far down the river… at this point in time an alert has been put out, a shark warning just to let people know this incident has taken place,” he said.

It is the first fatal shark attack in the Swan River in one hundred years, with a 13-year-old school boy killed while swimming in neighbouring Peppermint Grove on January 27, 1923. 

Meanwhile two years ago Perth man Cameron Wrathall was severely injured by a bull shark in Swan River during a morning swim.

Although bull sharks are known to frequent the river, the January 2021 incident was the first attack since the 1960s and one of only a handful in the last century.