Child Actor From 'Jaws' Becomes Police Chief Of Martha's Vineyard, Where Movie Was Filmed

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Life has a funny way of working out. Jonathan Searle can certainly attest to that.

You may not recognize Searles as an adult, but his face as a kid may ring a bell. Searle, a native of Martha's Vineyard's Oak Bluffs, appeared in the iconic film Jaws. It filmed in the area in the summer of 1975. Searle played one of two little boys who scare beachgoers by moving a cardboard fin through the water on a very crowded beach day.

He saved his mischievous streak for the screen and took the straight and narrow in real life. It's paid off, as Searle was recently made the police chief of Oak Bluffs.

In the 1975 film, Jonathan Searle played one of two boys who sent beachgoers into a panic by swimming around with a fake shark's fin. https://t.co/5h885quipK

— Bangor Daily News (@bangordailynews) May 24, 2022

[*The Vineyard Gazette*](https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2022/05/16/oak-bluffs-names-jonathan-searle-new-police-chief) recently announced that Jonathan Searle will be the next police chief in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, after many years of service as an Edgartown police sergeant. A town select board voted 3-1 to elect him to the position above the other three candidates in consideration.

Jonathan Searle, who as a child appeared in Steven Spielberg's megahit movie about a killer shark, has been selected as the next police chief of Oaks Bluff on the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard, where the movie was shot.https://t.co/vNLOhFuSQo

— Dave Masters (@davemasters) May 23, 2022

Searle grew up on Martha's Vineyard. He has been part of the Edgartown Police Department since 1986. He will take over for the soon-to-retire police chief of the nearby Oak Bluffs Police Department.

"I'm clearly elated and I'm humbled and honored to have been offered the position," he told The Vineyard Gazette.

"It's something I've been working toward my whole career."

Locals have no problem bringing up Searle's past as an actor. In 1975, he appeared as one of two boys who scare beachgoers with a cardboard shark fin in *Jaws*. The Edgartown Police Department shared the clip of Searles as recently as 2019.

"For the 44th Anniversary of Jaws we thought we should repost our 'Then and Now' video," they shared.

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

RavennaMiceli Police Memorial Week. I'm with the late George Searle former, Chief of Police Edgartown Mass. pic.twitter.com/ozXmkJ0adK

— oWOW Radio (@oWOWRadio) May 9, 2015

There's also a personal connection to Searle's new role as police chief. His father, George Searle, was the police chief of Edgartown from 1981 to 1995.

Naturally, Searle sees the irony in where he started out and where he's ended up.

"I'm finding the whole thing quite funny myself!"