Shark On New York Subway Mystery Solved! Brooklyn Mom Says Dead Animal Was Stolen From Her Kids At Coney Island Beach [PHOTOS AND VIDEO]

Alicia Vicino's kids thought their timing couldn't have been any better when the young shark-enthusiasts found a dead shark on Coney Island Beach right at the beginning of Shark Week. The family and her neighbor's family took turns taking photos with the animals that washed ashore already dead on sighting and were joined in their delight by a group of twentysomethings, the Brooklyn mom told the New York Post. The shark in question wound up on a Queens-bound N train Wednesday morning as the amused strangers made off with their catch.

The shark made headlines when disgruntled passengers found it the next morning stinking up their train. A commuter in the train car containing the creature told Gothamist in an anonymous tip that the train was filled with passengers who were then told by an MTA employee to get off and move to another part of the train when it was finally discovered by authorities. Vicino said she was stunned to see the shark again.

"It's crazy," she said. "We were like, oh my God, that's our shark! Mystery solved."

Chris Paparo, an expert in marine life, told reporters that it's very likely that the shark pictured on the beach and on the train are the same ones. Both are female and of similar size.

"I would say they are the same shark," said Paparo, who is manager of the Marine Science Center at Stony Brook Southampton. "I can't say 100 percent, but if I had to make a bet on it, I'd bet in favor of it being the shark. It seems like too big of a coincidence."

A conductor reported the abandoned predator at about 12:30 a.m. An MTA employee tossed it in the trash at the Astoria-Ditmars station when the animals was confirmed dead. Vicino said she was disappointed that the shark was taken aboard the transit system instead of laid to rest back in the ocean. The shark story went viral Wednesday when pictures were posted on Instagram by shocked subway riders. The shark has been immortalized on the Internet with a Twitter account by the username NYCSubwayShark.