Bear Calls in Hopatcong Skyrocket After Grisly Hiker Death

Of the Hopatcong Police Department’s 51 calls by residents to report bears, 40-percent of them have come in September alone.

Twenty-one reports of bears on residential property have come to the police department over the last 30 days, Lt. Thomas Kmetz said, with 16 of those coming after reports of a hiker was killed by a bear in Bergen County on Sept. 21.

The Hopatcong Police department is reminding residents that if they see a bear in the yard and it won’t leave, bang two pots together from an open window or activate an air horn. If the bear leaves, police will not respond.

If necessary, an officer will respond to an area and may use the force of rubber buck shot and pyrotechnics to move the bear along, Kmetz said. Hopatcong police have never had to destroy a bear, Kmetz said.

Kmetz also issued tips to residents to keep bears away, including the use of bear-resistant garbage containers; wash garbage containers frequently with disinfectant to remove odors; put garbage out on collection day and not before; bring bird feeders inside at night; keep bird feeders hung on free-hanging wire at least 10 feet above the ground.

The police department received calls by month as follows:

• January: 5
• February: 0
• March: 0
• April: 5
• May: 3
• June: 4
• July: 11
• August: 2
• September: 21

For more information about bear safety, visit the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s website here.