Photo: Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times via Getty
Jonathan Searle, who had a small part in theclassic movieJaws, will soon become the police chief in Oak Bluffs, a town on Martha’s Vineyard — the Massachusetts island where the 1975 film was made.
Searle, who grew up on Martha’s Vineyard and has been a member of the Edgartown Police Department since 1986, will take over the reins in June, when the current police chief is set to retire, per the newspaper.
Searle’s brief foray into acting isn’t a secret, with the Edgartown Police Department even sharing a special social media tribute in 2019 to coincide with the film’s 44th anniversary.
“Also, anytime we can show off the fact that Sgt. Searle was in Jaws is a good day!!” theywrote.
Sergeant Jonathan Searle (right).Edgartown Police Department/Facebook
Fans of the movie may get a particular kick out of Searle’s career path given the role he played in the film.
Searle and his real-life brother played two kids who staged a shark hoax with a cardboard fin, sending the beachgoers in the fictional town of Amity into a tizzy, perNBC Philadelphia.
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In 2008, Searle was even responsible for charging a man with disorderly conduct for lying about having seen sharks in the area, per the outlet.
For Searle, becoming police chief is a big honor.
“I’m clearly elated and I’m humbled and honored to have been offered the position,” he told theGazettelast week. “It’s something I’ve been working toward my whole career.”
The position has an extra layer of personal significance, since his father, George Searle, was a police chief in Edgartown from 1981-1995, per the newspaper.
As for the media frenzy about his lasting connection to Martha’s Vineyard? Searle’s getting a kick out of that too.
“I’m finding the whole thing quite funny myself!” Searle, 56, toldThe New York Poston Thursday.
source: people.com
