Danielle Brown, Gotham Whale’s director of research, theorized the whale braved the heavy traffic of the East River to hunt down a meal in the channel, where Atlantic menhaden, a favorite snack for humpbacks, is known to flourish.

People on the Brooklyn shore got a glimpse of the whale flashing its tail out of the water, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which received multiple reports from spectators

A humpback whale was sighted in the East River this week near the Brooklyn Bridge, the first whale sighting in NYC waterways since 2022. FOX 5's Richard Giacovas spoke with experts from Gotham Whales and the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society about the sighting.