Hiker killed by black bear in West Milford was Rutgers student

Hiker killed by black bear in West Milford was Rutgers student

September 22, 2014, 7:00 AM    Last updated: Monday, September 22, 2014, 1:45 PM
By TODD SOUTH and STEFANIE DAZIO
Staff Writers
The Record

An official of Rutgers University, where the man killed by a West Milford bear attack on Sunday was a student, issued a statement this afternoon on Darsh Patel’s “tragic passing.”

Richard L. Edwards, chancellor at Rutgers-New Brunswick, wrote in a statement: “As we grieve over his tragic passing, please know that our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones and to all his friends and fellow students at Rutgers.”

He said the university has made counselors available to members of the Rutgers community.

Patel, 22, of Edison, was identified as the man killed by the black bear Sunday afternoon in the Apshawa Preserve in West Milford.

A bear was found at the preserve and immediately euthanized, West Milford police said in a news release.

Patel and four friends, all from Edison, were hiking in the preserve when they encountered a black bear that began to follow them, the release said. They ran in different directions and called police when they couldn’t find Patel.

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