Bear killed near South Mountain Preserve after trapping woman, child

The Essex County Sheriff's Department killed a bear near the South Mountain Preserve earlier today. According to authorities, a woman contacted the Essex County Sheriff's Office for help around 11:22 a.m. on June 10. She and her young daughter were trapped by a bear near Locust Grove and were unable to leave the area.

According to the sheriff's office:

Essex County Sheriff's officers were dispatched to the scene and upon arrival located the woman, her child and other patrons and attempted to remove the affected parties from the storeroom.

While attempting to escort guests safely out of the preserve, the group encountered the bear again on the path leaving the preserve. Officers escorted the guests safely out of the preserve and then attempted to return the bear to the wooded area. At this point, the bear advanced towards the officers and unfortunately gave them no choice, for their safety and that of anyone else in the reserve. immediate area, to eliminate the bear.

Over the past few weeks, there have been several bear sightings throughout Essex County. On Monday, May 20, a bear was spotted in Montclair and also visited Verona. On May 13, reports of sightings in South Orange prompted the South Orange-Maplewood School District to cancel all outdoor activities. On May 26, there was another Montclair sighting at a home on Highland Avenue near the Mills Reservation.

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