Cranford, Westfield, Garwood Police Warn Of Black Bear Near Homes

CRANFORD, NJ — The Cranford police sent out alerts after 10 a.m. on Monday, followed by Westfield and Garwood police after 11 a.m., warning residents that a bear was spotted in a residential area. The Cranford police advised that residents should bring pets indoors.

[UPDATE: The bear was spotted in Westfield on Tuesday morning. Read more here.]

The warning followed several other bear spottings in New Jersey suburbs in recent weeks, including in Millburn's Short Hills section last month.

The Cranford, Westfield, and Garwood police sent out the following alerts:

10:05: Cranford Advisory: Bear sighting in the area of Hampton Rd. Please avoid the immediate area while police attempt to contain. Pets should be brought indoors.

10:12: Cranford Alert: Bear sighting in the area of Orchard St. Please avoid the immediate area while police attempt to contain. Pets should be brought indoors.

11:10: Garwood Alert: Be advised, a bear is walking on railroad tracks in Cranford behind Walgreens.

11:33: Westfield Alert: Police are tracking a bear in the area of Gallows Hill Rd in Cranford. Use extreme caution in area.

The area near Hampton Road and Orchard Street is blocks from the Rahway River.

Experts have said that recent changes in the environment, due to people staying inside amid coronavirus, may have been buoying nature and encouraging animals to return to their natural habitats.

But it's also not uncommon for bears to emerge in spring. Four days ago, a bear was spotted in Manahawkin near a McDonald's drive-through. And a bear was spotted in Cranford, Westfield, and Garwood in June of 2017.

The state Department of Environmental Protection, on their "Be Bear Aware" website, says that black bears are the largest mammal in the Garden State, and have been spotted in all 21 counties.

They rarely attack, but can be dangerous. If you see a black bear, don't approach it.

The site suggests that it's best to avoid leaving food out, if you don't want bears. If you see one, make noise to scare it away. Of attacked, don't "play dead"; instead, fight back. To read more about what to do and who to call if you see a bear, click here.

Aside from the Short Hills/Millburn bear, whom state officials failed to capture, people have noticed other wildlife in their New Jersey neighborhoods recently.

Last month, a baby seal was seen frolicking on the Hoboken waterfront two days in a row, a few feet from residential high rises. And several mornings since then, people have spotted two deer prancing down residential streets.

In other bear news, a Hoboken family is searching for a man who rescued their toddler son's teddy bear from the Hudson River recently.

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