Matawan Shark — Tattoo Bob, Matawan
Tattoo Bob · rail bridge over Matawan Creek, by Aberdeen Road · Matawan, New Jersey, USA
Photo from the Street Art Utopia archive; photographer and capture date are unrecorded. Artwork: Tattoo Bob, 2020. Full photograph shown; resized for display.
Shark jaws painted around a low arch of the railroad bridge over Matawan Creek turn the opening into a mouth, with “1916” in red beside it. A painter who calls himself Tattoo Bob made it in July 2020, near the creek where a shark killed two people in 1916. News 12 New Jersey · Roadside America · Weird NJ · The Lancer’s Point Checked
5 things to know
- Painted at the lowest tideThe artist told Weird NJ he painted it on 22 July 2020 at 3:40 a.m., during the year’s lowest tide. Weird NJ Reported
- Found one morningResidents first noticed the shark on the morning of 22 July 2020. The Lancer’s Point Reported
- Not a commissionThe painting was not sanctioned by the town or by NJ Transit. In September 2021 neither had taken legal action, and the mural still stood. The Lancer’s Point Reported
- An anonymous painterHe asked Weird NJ to call him simply Tattoo Bob, and the magazine describes him as a construction worker by trade, not a tattoo artist. Weird NJ Reported
- The creek’s historyA shark swam up Matawan Creek in 1916 and killed two people, the attacks often said to have inspired Jaws. The Lancer’s Point says the painted shark resembles the one on the cover of the Jaws book. Roadside America · The Lancer’s Point Reported
Check-in guide
- 📍
- Roadside America’s directions: at the stoplight on Main Street, turn north onto High Street and drive about a quarter-mile to a small bridge; the mural is on the right. The listing gives the address as Aberdeen Road, Matawan. Roadside America Reported
- 👀
- It is seen from the road; The Lancer’s Point says it was visible from Aberdeen Road. The Lancer’s Point Reported
Sightings
- 202022 Jul
First noticed · Lancer’s Point
- 202113 Jul
News 12 report
- 202128 Sep
“Still stands”
- 202330 Mar
Visitor photo · Roadside America tip
- 202319 Jun
Weird NJ story
The green stamp is the date of a reader’s tip with a photograph on Roadside America. Amber stamps are dates of reports. The status stamp follows the visitor photo of 30 March 2023; we found no dated sighting after it.
On the record
Still there, for now
“Matawan and The NJT have yet to take legal action against TattooBob, and the mural still stands at the date of writing.”
A student newspaper’s check on the mural a year after it appeared.
Part of a set
“It goes along with the other two items you have posted about the shark attacks.”
Traci Rowlett, sending in a photo of the mural.
The facts
- Work
- Shark jaws painted around an arch of the bridge over Matawan Creek, with “1916” beside them. The Lancer’s Point · Roadside America · Weird NJ Checked It has no known title; “Matawan Shark” is our label. Unconfirmed
- Artist
- Tattoo Bob, who does not give his real name. News 12 New Jersey · Roadside America · Weird NJ · The Lancer’s Point Checked
- Date
- July 2020; the artist gives 22 July 2020. Roadside America · Weird NJ · The Lancer’s Point Checked
- Structure
- An arch of the railroad bridge over Matawan Creek: an NJ Transit bridge (The Lancer’s Point), an arched trestle on the old New Jersey Southern line (Weird NJ). The Lancer’s Point · Weird NJ Checked Roadside America calls it a culvert. Roadside America Conflicting
- Permission
- Unsanctioned by the town or NJ Transit. The Lancer’s Point Reported
- Status
- Seen in a visitor photo sent to Roadside America on 30 March 2023. Roadside America Reported No later dated sighting found. Unconfirmed
- Our photo
- Photographer and capture date unrecorded. A keystone above the arch appears to read “1952”; no source we found explains it. Street Art Utopia archive Unconfirmed
Related
- Only in America (14 Photos vol. 2): the SAU collection that includes this photo
- Street Art Inspired by the New Jersey Shark Attacks of 1916: SAU’s 2021 post on the mural
- Au temps des mégalodons by Seyb: another shark with its own Artwork File
All sources (4)
Local reports
- News 12 New Jersey: Positively Jersey: Tattoo Bob paints shark graffiti near site of infamous shark attacks, 13 July 2021. Names Tattoo Bob and the Matawan location.
- The Lancer’s Point (St. John Vianney High School): A Shark and Its Legacy, 28 September 2021. NJ Transit bridge, visible from Aberdeen Road, first noticed 22 July 2020, unsanctioned, still standing.
- Weird NJ: article on the Matawan Creek shark mural, 19 June 2023. The trestle, the 3:40 a.m. low-tide painting on 22 July 2020, and the artist’s wish to stay Tattoo Bob.
Visitor records
- Roadside America: Matawan Creek Shark Mural, painted by Tattoo Bob in July 2020; directions; visitor tip with photo, 30 March 2023.
Artwork File · Last checked 15 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files