“HE IS STILL ASLEEP, THE BRAIN IS NOT RESPONDING”: New details on the condition of little Niko Antić (12), who was attacked by a shark in Sydney

Niko Antić (12), who was attacked by a shark at a beach in Sydney, is alive in the hospital but is brain dead and will likely never wake up from the coma, a close family member told the Daily Mail.

Niko was jumping into the water from a six-meter-high rock at Nielsen Park in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Sunday around 4:20 PM when he was attacked by what is suspected to be a bull shark.

In the attack, both of his legs were severely injured, and he survived because one of his five friends jumped into the water and pulled him onto the rocks while the shark swam nearby.

A close family member confirmed to the Daily Mail that Niko is still alive in the hospital.

Police also confirmed that Niko’s condition remains unchanged.

“He is still asleep, but he won’t be able to come back because his brain is not responding at all,” said the relative.

He added that Niko is a talented athlete who always made people laugh.

“He is an athlete and always manages to bring a smile to people’s faces,” he added.

The incident occurred at Shark Beach in Vaucluse, where the twelve-year-old boy was bitten while swimming with friends near a popular jumping rock outside the netted swimming area.

Police later credited the boy’s friends with saving his life by jumping from the rocks during the attack and dragging him back to shore.

“Those actions were incredibly brave under the circumstances,” said Superintendent Joseph McNulty.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, the officer said the boy lost a significant amount of blood and was unconscious when paramedics arrived.

“The boy lost his pulse, there was a major loss of blood, and a double tourniquet stopped that flow of blood loss and contributed to saving his life,” the officer said.

Family friend Victor Pineiro started a GoFundMe campaign to help the family cover costs.

“Niko was attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour on Sunday and sustained life-threatening injuries,” he wrote, describing it as “the worst possible outcome.”

Another family friend, Trish, shared the link to the fundraiser on Facebook with the message: “My heart aches.”

A third family friend urged people to donate money.

“This is a family I know and they are going through an unimaginably difficult period,” he said.

As a reminder, Niko is the first victim of four shark attacks on the coast of New South Wales in three days.

On Monday, an 11-year-old boy had an encounter with another shark, which bit off a large piece of his surfboard in Dee Why, near Manly, in Sydney’s northern suburbs.

The same evening, Andre de Ruyter (27) was attacked by a bull shark while surfing in Manly. He was taken to the hospital with a severe leg injury.

On Tuesday, a 39-year-old was attacked at Point Plomer on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. The shark bit through the man’s wetsuit and tore off a piece of his board. He reportedly drove himself to Kempsey District Hospital.

Police urged people not to swim in murky water with low visibility after heavy rain hit Sydney and the surrounding area over the weekend.

Also, beaches across Sydney have been closed for swimming following the series of shark attacks.