Bear Sighted In Middlesex Borough, Police Say

MIDDLESEX, NJ — A black bear was sighted near Victor Crowell Park in Middlesex borough shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday, said Middlesex borough police in this Nixle alert.

Middlesex borough residents are also posting on social media that the bear was seen scampering near Lucas Pizza on Harris Avenue Tuesday morning, before 9 a.m. The bear was also seen walking up Raritan Avenue toward Ashland Road. It looks to be an average-size adolescent bear.

Police are monitoring its movements. Please avoid areas where the bear has been spotted, said Middlesex police. The state Division of Fish and Wildlife has also been notified.

As Patch just reported on May 17, black bear season in New Jersey is in full swing: Starting back in late March/April, bears are now out in full force in search of food.

The increase in black bear population in New Jersey is linked to a number of factors including increased areas of protected lands, bears leaving Pennsylvania and New York due to their overdensity, and the fact that New Jersey's black bears have some of the largest litters and highest reproductive rates in the nation, according to NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife. Read our Spring 2021 New Jersey Black Bear Guide: https://patch.com/new-jersey/b...

On April 23, Cranford Police sent an alert about multiple sightings of a black bear near Nomahegan Park in Union County: Black Bear Spotted In Cranford Near A Union County Park

Related: It's Black Bear Season In New Jersey: What You Need To Know (May 17)

Be the first to know. Sign up to get Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com