#Shark that killed NYC woman confirmed as great white – and it’s still out there

Victim Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63 — who was president of the handbag company Kipling North America — was swimming with her daughter about 20 yards off Bailey Island around 3:30 p.m. Monday when she was attacked by the beast — which left behind a fragment of tooth that allowed scientists to identify it as a great white, Maine officials said.

A witness said he saw the horrific scene — Maine’s first fatal shark attack — unfold from his second-story office in a building overlooking the island’s Mackerel Cove.

Holowach was in a black wet suit, while the younger woman was in a blue one-piece, as the pair started swimming out while laughing and enjoying the water, office worker Tom Whyte told The Boston Globe. 

The victim then dipped under the water and started flailing her arms, Whyte said.

The woman with Holowach saw her surface for a moment — and then the woman began swimming back to shore, where she collapsed to her hands and knees on the sand and screamed for help, the witness said.

He said neighors ran to the woman’s aid, and the US Coast Guard soon launched a boat to try to rescue Holowach.

Meanwhile, at least one kayaker rushed to try to help Holowach in the water but became distraught and was unable to help, Whyte said.

The witness said Holowach floated to shore, where she was immediately pronounced dead by arriving paramedics.

“It’s all very surreal,” Whyte told the paper.

Holowach was likely mistaken for a seal because of her wetsuit, Maine officials said at a press conference Tuesday.

The shark that killed her has yet to be seen again, they added — warning local swimmers and paddle-boarders to steer clear of areas of water where seals and schools of fish are, since they are prime bait for sharks.

A Great White shark

Getty Images

A member of a TV crew adjusts their camera while filming near the shore of Bailey Island, Maine, where a woman swimming off the coast was killed in an apparent shark attack.

AP

Up Next

BEIJING — The head of the Chinese Center for Disease…

“It’s the presence of seals that are really the drive here,” said Maine Marine Patrol Commissioner Patrick Keliher. “We are aware that there have been a few reports of seals in the area who have had bite marks.”

Holowach’s Linkedin page says she was a board member of Sea Bags LLC, a company that offers handmade totes with nautical themes, as well as president at Kipling.

Seabags CEO Don Oakes said in a statement that Holowach’s  “passion for the ocean, the state of Maine and causes we believe in made her an invaluable supporter and friend,” according to the Bangor Daily News in Maine.

Holowach’s Facebook page says she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.

Maine officials said she was from New York City, and records show she has previously lived in Chelsea in Manhattan, as well as the Westchester County communities of Briarcliff Manor and Ardsley.

Holowach and her husband also have a home in Naples, Fla. — and have lived on Elden Point Road on Bailey Island, records show.

Maine officials said Holowach was a beloved member of the area’s community, where she and her husband had a summer home and would spend four to five a months a year.

“Julie and her husband are well-known, very respected individuals,” said Maine Marine Patrol Maj. Robert Beal. “The community … is trying to process yesterday’s event.”

Meanwhile, two shark sightings Monday off the coast of Long Island prompted some local beaches to be at least temporarily closed to swimming.