New Jersey man attacked and killed by black bear, police say
Reuters
2 hours ago
Wochit
New Jersey Man Attacked And Killed By Black Bear, Police Say
(Reuters) - A man hiking in a heavily wooded area of northern New Jersey was attacked and killed by a black bear during the weekend, police said on Monday.
Darsh Patel, 22, of Edison, New Jersey, and four friends encountered the bear on Sunday afternoon in the Apshawa Preserve, about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of New York City, according to the West Milford Township, New Jersey, police department.
The bear began to follow the hikers and they scattered, police said in a statement. Four of them regrouped but Patel was missing and they contacted police, it said. Patel's body was found about two hours later.
"Evidence at the scene indicated that the victim had been attacked by a bear," the statement said.
A bear was located at the scene and euthanized, police said.
Black bears are common in New Jersey, where they typically are not aggressive and tend to flee from humans, according to the Department of Environmental Protection website.
They create a nuisance by getting into residential garbage and tend to be active in the fall searching for food ahead of the winter, it said.
Apshawa Preserve is a 576-acre (233-hectare) nature preserve of oak and sugar maple trees that is popular with hikers and bird watchers.
(Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by Bill Trott)
