Black bear sightings in Ridgewood, N.J. leave some residents on edge
A black bear spotted over the last two days in one Bergen County, New Jersey, town has everyone talking.
It appears folks in Ridgewood are just as curious as the bear is.
Hillcrest Road may be bear ground zero
Surveillance cameras caught the small bear breaking into a trash bin secured with bungie cords. A neighbor tried to scare it off, but the bear got the goods, anyway.
It was the second bear sighting on Hillcrest Road in as many days. In fact, the animal was spotted all over the west side of town, including in Jasmin Kakish's back yard.
"It was just basically walking towards the other neighbor's yard," Kakish said.
The bear made its way through Tatiana Constantinople's back yard on Wednesday night, before moving on to the next one.
"People are always out walking their dogs. Those of us with little kids and little dogs just keep an extra eye out," Constantinople said.
Ridgewood police say they've gotten reports of the bear roaming around town.
Neighbors said they've been updating each other on the bear's whereabouts via text and Facebook groups, just in case. Sightings are not unheard of in Ridgewood, but, still, one just steps from downtown has some folks on edge.
"But at this point, we're more curious than worried, I would say," resident Katie O'Hara said.
Sightings in Bergen follow bear shooting in Westchester
New Jersey wildlife officials encourage residents to secure garbage cans. Officials say if you encounter a black bear, make a lot of noise, avoid eye contact, do not run, but slowly move away.
Officials say black bears now live in all 21 counties in the state, though attacks on humans are extremely rare.
Bear sightings are down statewide this year, but make no mistake, the animals are still around.
On Monday, police in Westchester County, New York shot and killed a back bear in a residential neighborhood in the suburban hamlet of West Harrison. Located about 22 miles northeast of New York City, it is filled with densely packed, well-kept homes. Residents said they are not accustomed to seeing a black bear parading through their back yards.
"I wish there was a better outcome. No one likes seeing this be the final outcome," West Harrison resident Douglas Puff said. "You could tell just by looking at it, anytime anyone got close, the police department, the bear was scared."
