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Reporter drops mic, chases shirtless ‘Aussie hunk’ on live TV

Posted at 11:52 AM, Jul 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-06 11:52:55-04

LOS ANGELES -- KTLA reporter Wendy Burch chased a shirtless "Aussie hunk" on live television on Wednesday.

Burch was standing on the beach when she saw a shirtless man running near Dana Point. She asked James, who is originally from Australia, about the increase in shark sightings near the beach. He certainly had an opinion:

"The honest truth is... the sharks are always going to be there. Why do you think there are always shark sightings in the summer? There are more people… more people looking for the sharks. But they’re not going to hurt you. I spearfish off this point every week. The truth of the matter is… the sharks are always there. Just because we see one shark doesn’t mean someone is going to get bit or attacked… or that we have to shut down the beach. I think it’s just paranoia from the media and from what we see on TV every day, to be honest. Sharks are no danger… nothing to be afraid of. We have guys out here surfing, there's nothing that's going to happen. If something does… it’s just a random chance.”

After James took off running, Burch said: “I love that guy. I have nothing else to say. That’s James.”

Chris Schauble, an anchor at KTLA, asked Burch: “Why are you letting him go? Where is he from? You have to get more information Wendy! You let him off the hook!”

“That's the story of my life!” Burch replied.

Wendy then dropped the mic and took off after the shirtless man. Burch later tweeted about the interview:

"There was a moment there when I looked into his eyes.... and completely forgot what we were talking about."