Tag: Fatal bear attack

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West Milford police seeking two hikers who encountered group before fatal bear attack

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West Milford police seeking two hikers who encountered group before fatal bear attack

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014, 1:03 PM    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014, 10:00 PM
BY JEFF GREEN AND MINJAE PARK
STAFF WRITERS
THE RECORD

Police on Tuesday appealed to the public for help in identifying two hikers who were among the last people to have seen Darsh Patel alive on Sunday before he was mauled to death by a black bear in a West Milford nature preserve.As the authorities searched for clues about the 22-year-old Patel’s death, the first fatality by a bear in New Jersey in 150 years, a portrait of the Rutgers student began to emerge. Friends remembered him as a generous person as they prepared for his funeral, which a friend said is scheduled for today.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/west-milford-police-seeking-two-hikers-who-encountered-group-before-fatal-bear-attack-1.1094387#sthash.IvNcxYWx.dpuf

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Fatal bear attack in West Milford preserve is first recorded in New Jersey in 150 years

dont-feed-the-bears

Fatal bear attack in West Milford preserve is first recorded in New Jersey in 150 years

SEPTEMBER 22, 2014, 7:00 AM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014, 10:15 PM
BY MINJAE PARK AND JIM O’NEILL
STAFF WRITERS
THE RECORD

WEST MILFORD — Around the Apshawa Preserve, residents seal garbage containers, bring their dogs inside and scrub their barbecue grills clean, daily chores to ensure that ever-present bears keep their distance. 

But the fatal bear attack on a 22-year-old Rutgers student Sunday — the first recorded in more than 150 years, state officials say — came as a startling reminder of the dangers that can arise from the rare bear-human confrontation.

KEVIN R. WEXLER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
From left, West Milford Police Chief Tim Storbeck; DEP spokesman Larry Ragonese and Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik during Monday’s press conference.

Five friends had been hiking at the preserve in West Milford on Sunday afternoon when they scattered in fear upon realizing a black bear was following them, a move experts say put each individual at greater risk.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/fatal-bear-attack-in-west-milford-preserve-is-first-recorded-in-new-jersey-in-150-years-1.1093520#sthash.nMoi4Reh.dpuf