MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - For one day, a 9-year-old boy who survived a terrifying attack on the water experienced the kind of thrill that comes along once in a lifetime: to be at the helm of the Miami Beach Police Department.
Jay Weiskopf received an honor bestowed on only the bravest, as he was sworn in as “chief for a day.”
Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements passed the torch for 24 hours.
“There was gotta be something we could do that really kind of rewrites that script,” said Clements.
The 9-year-old returned to South Florida from Minnesota this holiday weekend, months after his scary encounter with a shark.
“He is 100%. He is back to his old self,” said his mother, Kristine Weiskopf. “He is running around, playing, swimming. There’s really nothing he can’t do.”
Jay was bitten by the marine predator off South Beach in waist-deep water, March 21.
He needed more than 100 stitches.
“When we first left Miami in March, we were like, ‘We don’t care if we ever come back here again,'” said Kristine, “and now that we’re here, and we see this community and how wonderful it is, and how everyone has come together to just give Jay a better experience, we are so grateful.”
On Saturday, Jay was back on the beach, leading the police department with bravery and heroism.
“I’m going to catch bad guys,” he said.
The frightening attack has only made him stronger.
“Our hope is, it will be eventually be less trauma and more a story of survival and a story of bravery,” said Kristine.
After his long day on the force, Jay is spending the rest of Labor Day weekend with his parents and grandmother in Miami Beach, thanks to several local businesses.
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