Nico Antic: Heartbreaking update on young boy who was mauled by a shark
The family of 12-year-old Nico Antic, who was attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour, has confirmed he died in hospital.
Nico was injured by a suspected bull shark as he jumped into the water from a six-metre rock ledge at Nielsen Park in Sydney’s eastern suburbs about 4.20pm on Sunday.
Both of his legs were seriously injured in the attack, and he survived thanks to one of his five companions jumping in and dragging him onto the rocks as the predator swam nearby.
But days later, his parents, Lorena and Juan Antic, shared a statement via Randwick Children’s Hospital on Saturday, confirming his death.
‘We are saddened to share that our son Nico has passed away,’ they wrote.
‘Nico was a happy, friendly and sporty young boy with an extremely kind and generous spirit. She was always full of life and that’s how we will remember her.
‘We would like to sincerely thank the first responders and teams at Randwick Sydney Children’s Hospital for everything they did to care for Nico. We also thank everyone in the community for their support and kind messages.
‘We ask that you please respect our privacy at this extraordinarily difficult time.’
The family of 12-year-old Nico Antic (pictured), who was attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour, have confirmed he died in hospital.
Nico was injured by a suspected bull shark as he jumped into the water from a six-metre rock ledge at Nielsen Park in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Nico Antic (pictured with his father) was described as a ‘happy, friendly and sporty boy’
The young friend who dragged him from the water had previously described how Nico, who will turn 13 in February, was fighting for his life during the incident.
‘He continued to fight and breathe in my arms and did not give up even for a moment,’ his friend said. 7News on Friday.
‘He was the most stubborn person I have ever known, and I am grateful that I was there for his final waking moments.
‘There was a brief moment when Nico woke up while he was bleeding and he looked at me and then he stopped and I thought I had lost him and I was so surprised he fought for so long.’
Family friend Victor Pineiro held a fundraiser Tuesday to help the family cover expenses, raising more than $238,000.
‘Nico was attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbor on Sunday and suffered life-threatening injuries,’ he said, describing it as the ‘worst possible outcome’.
Friends on social media said earlier this week that Nico’s extended family was living abroad and they would have to travel to Australia to say goodbye.
“Fly high Nico, you were a very good boy and a master at rugby,” a friend wrote, according to 7News.
Image: Map of shark attacks off the NSW coast between Sunday and Tuesday
Nico’s friend who pulled him out of the water said he never stopped fighting.
‘It hurts to see him go so soon. ‘No one deserves to lose their life at such a young age.’
Another said: ‘I don’t know what to do without you… EWhen I was with you, you made everything more fun no matter what.
‘I still can’t accept that he’s gone, it doesn’t feel real.’
The attack was the first in a series of four shark encounters to hit Australia’s most populous state in three days.
On Monday, an 11-year-old boy encountered another shark that took a huge bite out of his surfboard at Dee Why near Manly in Sydney’s northern suburbs.
That same evening, 27-year-old Andre de Ruyter was attacked by a bull shark while surfing in Sydney’s northern suburb of Manly.
He was hospitalized for a serious injury to his leg but has since recovered.
A 39-year-old man was attacked at Point Plomer on the NSW Mid North Coast on Tuesday.
Andre de Ruyter (pictured) was taken to hospital with critical injuries after being attacked by a bull shark while surfing in Manly on Monday. Has since improved
The shark bit the man’s wetsuit and took a piece of his board. He was reported to have gone to Kempsey District Hospital.
All NSW beaches are expected to be open over the Australia Day long weekend despite a wave of shark attacks that have led to days of closure.
Manly Beach was briefly closed after the shark was spotted around 7am on Saturday morning. It has since reopened.
Further south, Garie Beach in the Royal National Park was also evacuated by authorities and closed after three sharks were spotted.
NSW’s shark management programme, which received a $2.5 million boost in December, includes SMART drum lines and drone patrols at 50 beaches during school holidays.
Inspector Joseph McNulty said extra fresh water in the harbor after recent heavy rain, combined with the splash effect created by people jumping from cliffs, created the ‘perfect storm’ for Sunday’s shark attack.
“I would advise against swimming in the harbor or any of our other river systems in NSW at this time,” he told reporters before the Dee Why incident was reported.
Heavy waves also prevented the operation of smart barrel lines, which have been alerting authorities to shark activity along much of the NSW coast since Sunday.
