PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Five teens have fessed up to hoisting a shark in the rafters as a senior prank at a Florida high school.
According to an incident report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) obtained by WJXT, two teenagers bought a bull shark from a fisherman on May 3.
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The report states that a 17-year-old and 18-year-old were fishing around 8 p.m. in Mayport when a man next to them caught the bull shark. The teens offered the man $100 for the shark and the man gave it to them.
The pair then took the bull shark to a friend’s house, gutted it and then stored it on ice in the yard.
FFWCC reported that the two teens went to the school around 9 p.m. on May 4, along with three other teenagers aged between 17 and 18, and gained access to the Ponte Vedra High School campus through an open gate.
According to WJXT, the five teenagers used a ladder and pulley system to hoist the shark into the rafters. The friend who had allowed the shark to be stored at his residence stood as a lookout.
St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office was given surveillance video from the school district showing the shark being hung up but previously said it will not be released, citing an ongoing investigation.
The shark was cut down and removed on May 5 by a maintenance worker at the school.
The report states that the maintenance worker placed a dumpster under the shark and cut the ropes that were holding it up, allowing it to fall directly into the dumpster.
From there, the shark was taken to a landfill by the maintenance crew before being placed on a truck and taken to Georgia for disposal, WJXT reported.
Bull sharks are legal to possess in Florida as long as they meet the minimum size limit of 54 inches.
Investigators determined the shark to be over the legal size of 54 inches and found no resource violations stemming from the incident.
“The shark was removed prior to a notification to FWC. This was a unique situation and as you can imagine not one that the staff at PVHS has encountered before. They wanted to avoid creating a stressful situation for any individuals or students arriving on campus,” School officials told WJXT.
St. Johns County School District officials said the students involved in the prank have been given level four disciplinary measures, which include no senior year activities, including graduation, mandatory suspension, possible expulsion and more, WJXT reported.