 During the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, the creek was made infamous due to the shark attacks on July 12, 1916, occurring 1.5 miles (2.5 km) from the ocean.A shark killed 11-year-old Lester Stillwell and his 24-year-old would-be rescuer Watson "Stanley" Fisher and severely injured 14-year-old Joseph Dunn later that same day.This account, in addition to a number of other shark attacks in the local area, were believed to have been the inspiration for the popular novel "Jaws", written by Peter Benchley, who in turn co-wrote the screenplay for the blockbuster film of the same name directed by Steven Spielberg.