From co-starring on Jaws to law enforcement.
Jonathan Searle has been named Oak Bluffs’ new police chief – 47 years ago in the same Massachusetts town where he filmed Steven Spielberg ( Steven Spielberg)’s iconic shark thriller, the fictional name of this classic summer blockbuster is Amity.
His appointment caused a stir when the town’s board announced it had voted 3-1 to give longtime community service workers the top police post.
“I thought the whole thing was funny myself!” Searle, 56, told The Washington Post on Thursday amid the hustle and bustle on the island south of Cape Cod.
Home to more than 5,000 full-time residents, Oak Bluffs is part of the luxurious Martha’s Vineyard, where “Jaws” was filmed in 1975.
Searle and his real-life brother Steven are memorable in that movie Play as two pranksters who cause mass panic On the beach after swimming into the sea with cardboard fins.
Searle is actually a real native of Martha’s Vineyard, and despite his role in one of the most famous films of all time, he chose not to pursue a career in film.
Instead, the former child actor — the son of Police Chief George Searle, who served 30 years in the force and held the top police post from 1981 to 1995 — joined nearby Ed in 1986. Gaton Police Station.
“I’m obviously very happy, I’m honored to have this position,” he told the local news outlet excitedly Vineyard Gazette“It’s something I’ve been working on my entire career.”
As he worked his way up the ranks, young Searle recently helped lead Project Outreach, an initiative of officers working with recovery coaches to help residents grapple with addiction into treatment programs.
Ironically, Jaws revolves around the exploits of a police chief named Martin Brody.
movie – which grossed $472 million at the box office At the worldwide box office – see the fictional Brody (Roy Schneider) team up with marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) to hunt down the man-eating great white shark.
Searle, however, hopes life doesn’t imitate art, saying he wants to focus on catching criminals on land — not the deadly sea creatures lurking in nearby waters.
But back in 2008, news of a horrific shark sighting Headlining Martha’s VineyardSearle was forced to investigate.
A man has sparked panic after telling beachgoers he noticed “two huge great white sharks swimming near Martha’s Vineyard”.
But Searle’s investigation determined there was no such shark, and the man, Michael Lopenzo, was determined to be the prankster and was later charged with disorderly conduct.
then, “Jaws” super fan Note the irony that Searle found a shark liar after he himself played a shark prankster in one of the most famous films of all time.
