Danielle Brown, Gotham Whale’s director of research, theorized the whale braved the heavy traffic of the East River to hunt down a meal in the channel, where Atlantic menhaden, a favorite snack for humpbacks, is known to flourish.

People on the Brooklyn shore got a glimpse of the whale flashing its tail out of the water, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which received multiple reports from spectators

Video shows a whale swimming under the Brooklyn Bridge on Monday, surprising onlookers. The sighting came after a mother and calf whale were seen near Spring Lake, NJ. (Credit: Helena Lippolis)

New York City onlookers were surprised on Monday when a whale was spotted swimming under the Williamsburg Bridge on Monday, emerging from the surface.