Police Respond To Black Bear In Short Hills/Millburn

MILLBURN, NJ — Police responded to the Short Hills section of Millburn on Monday morning when a black bear was spotted climbing a tree in a residential neighborhood.

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. A resident of the area, Jamie Ryan, who took the photos above, said he's never seen a bear in that area.

[UPDATE: Officials failed to capture the bear on Monday. Also, he/she has a Facebook page. Read more here.]

The Township of Millburn posted at 8:15 a.m.:

Police. In the area of Woodland Rd a bear has been sited. Use caution when exiting your home
— Township of Millburn (@millburntwp)

They followed up with, "UPDATE: NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is responding to and handling the situation."

A resident posted a video of the bear in his driveway Monday morning on the Facebook group Happy Millburn. He wrote, "We spotted the bear just before 8 a.m. on Wellington walking across our driveway then into the woods. We contacted Millburn PD and they watched the bear make its way to Woodland via the woods/backyards."

Other residents reported hearing helicopters, and that the bear had climbed a tree.

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 they've 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. And if 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.

People have noticed more wildlife in their New Jersey neighborhoods recently. Two weeks ago, a baby seal was seen frolicking on the Hoboken waterfront, near residential high rises. In the same city on Sunday, people spotted two deer prancing through the center of town. Others have spied coyotes in a few spots around the state.

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