Shark washes ashore in Westport

LITTLE COMPTON, R.I. (WPRI) -- Two Little Compton beaches are closed after a great white shark washed ashore Saturday morning.

PHOTO GALLERY: 13-Foot Great White Washes Ashore in Westport

Little Compton Police confirm that a shark washed up and that Goosewing Beach and South Shore Beach are closed to swimming Saturday.

Gary Severa says he was out fishing about an hour before dawn when he spotted the animal from a distance, at first mistaking it for driftwood.  As he got closer to it, he realized it was a shark.

"It was actually a little scary to look at," he said.

Severa found it past the end of Brayton Point Road just over the line into Westport, Mass.

Representatives from Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut tell Eyewitness News that they have positively identified the animal as a great white shark.

Little Compton Fire Department will visually assess both beaches at 6am on Sunday morning to see if they can be re-opened.

Stay with Eyewitness News as more information on this developing story becomes available.