NEW JERSEY - A weekend at the Jersey Shore was interrupted when more than 60 syringes washed ashore, forcing local officials to temporarily shut down access to the water.
What we know:
The medical waste was first discovered on Manasquan Beach in Monmouth County on Saturday. While the beach remained open, authorities strictly prohibited swimming.
To ensure the safety of swimmers, authorities held off on reopening the water until the area had undergone two full high tide cycles. After re-evaluating the shoreline early Sunday morning, the beach was cleared and the waters were officially reopened to swimmers.
Dig deeper:
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said that last week's heavy rain triggered sewer overflows that carried the syringes onto the beach, according to a report by the New York Post.
The Post also reported that the debris was mostly household waste, including insulin syringes.
The Source: Information from this article was provided by the Manasquan Office of Emergency Management and New York Post.