A black bear was spotted earlier this week in both Monroe and East Brunswick.
In Monroe, police responded to several reports of bear sightings on July 4 in the areas Forsgate Drive, including the Rossmoor adult community, the Forsgate Country Club and adjacent properties. The Bear was also spotted off Rhode Hall Road.
Police said it was not clear whether the bear was the same one that had been captured in Monroe on June 15.
In East Brunswick, the first report of a black bear came in at 7:20 p.m. July 4 in the area of Cranbury Road and Helmetta Boulevard. The bear was also seen on Dunhams Corner Road, where it was chased into the wooded area near the New Jersey Turnpike’s Joyce Kilmer rest area, police said.
On July 5, the bear was again spotted on Dunhams Corner Road near the township’s recycling center. The bear then traveled through numerous residential yards until it found a swampy area near the New Jersey Turnpike. Numerous sightings were reported throughout the day and at approximately 2:30 p.m. the bear climbed up a tree in a neighborhood between Ryders Lane and Milltown Road.
However, because of the bear’s location, officials from the state Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife were unable to safely remove the bear as of 4 p.m. Police said the bear would be “monitored until such time that appropriate actions can be taken.”