'Jaws' child star now named police chief on Martha's Vineyard

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A former child star in "Jaws" turned real-life police officer has been named police chief of Oak Bluffs in Massachusetts' Martha's Vineyard. 

Jonathan Searle had a brief role in the Steven Spielberg 1975 film as one of the pranksters who placed a shark fin in ocean waters. A Martha's Vineyard native, Searle has been a long-serving Edgartown officer since 1986, according to the Vineyard Gazette. 

Searle's appointment was reported by the Gazette on May 16, with the vote coming down to 3-1. 

"I’m clearly elated and I’m humbled and honored to have been offered the position," Searle told the Gazette. 

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"Jaws" featured several location shots in Martha's Vineyard as the film followed a police officer's efforts in ridding the local waters of the fictional Amity of a killer shark. 

Edgartown Police Sgt. Jonathan Searle films a public service announcement in March 2021, in Edgartown, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha's Vineyard. (Jeremy Driesen/Vineyard Gazette via AP)

Searle's brief acting stint in the film has been previously highlighted by the Edgartown Police Department, with the department sharing a social media post in 2019 in honor of the film's 44th anniversary, according to People. 

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"Also, anytime we can show off the fact that Sgt. Searle was in ‘Jaws’ is a good day!!," the department wrote. 

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Searle is expected to take over the position next month. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.