NJ Woman Attacked By Bear While She Was Getting Mail

LAFAYETTE, NJ — A Sussex County resident was hospitalized Wednesday after a young bear attacked her, according to a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

The 34-year-old Lafayette resident was attacked around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday by a black bear that was 1 to 2 years old, spokesperson Larry Hajna told Patch. The animal, which weighed an estimated 150 to 200 pounds, was with two other bears, all of which were scared off when a neighbor honked their car horn, Hajna said.

The Lafayette resident was walking "to the end of a farm lane to check her mail" when the attack occurred, Hajna said, noting that the injuries she sustained to her right arm and buttock were not life-threatening.

Hajna added that the state DEP has set a trap for the bear, slated to be euthanized under state policy. New Jersey Fish and Wildlife staff are currently investigating the incident.

Also this week, a bear cub with a plastic chicken feeder stuck around its head was freed after it was found wandering Sussex County. Officials from the Division of Fish and Wildlife temporarily tranquilized the bear, removed the chicken feeder and released the bear into a wooded area. Read more: NJ Bear With Chicken Feeder Stuck To Head Gets Rescued (PICS)

Other bear sightings around the Garden State have been reported recently in Bergen County from Paramus to Glen Rock.

Sussex County is no stranger to bear sightings either. Earlier this year, two dogs were killed in January in Sparta, and an 81-year-old woman was injured in two separate bear attacks. Traps were set for the animals, but it’s not immediately clear if any had been caught or euthanized by the state.