FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A 12-year-old boy is recovering in a hospital after police say he was bitten by a shark in the waters off northeast Florida.

Police say the boy, who lives in Sparks, Georgia, suffered significant injuries to his leg after the attack Sunday afternoon at Fernandina Beach. Police say Josh Bitner Jr. was in waist-deep water when he felt the bite near his knee.

Bitner told The Florida Times-Union (http://bit.ly/1KrgWq3 ) something grabbed his leg, turned him around and bit him again. He says he punched the shark, then grabbed its top fin and pulled it out of the water and started yelling "shark!"

Bitner was treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to a hospital in Jacksonville for treatment.

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Information from: The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, http://www.jacksonville.com