New Jersey wildlife officials believe that a black bear in search of food killed a Rutgers University senior who was hiking with four friends over the weekend. The body of Darsh Patel, 22, of Edison, N.J., was found Sunday in the Apshawa Preserve in West Milford. Police Chief Timothy Storbeck said the male bear was walking in a circle about 30 yards from the victim’s body and wouldn’t leave even after officers tried to scare it away by making loud noises and throwing sticks and stones.
According to Storbeck, the five friends noticed the bear beginning to follow them and ran, splitting up as they did. When the other four couldn’t find Patel, they called police, who found his body about two hours later.
The 300-pound animal was killed with two rifle shots and is and is being examined at a state lab for more clues as to why it may have pursued the group of five hikers. If it is confirmed that the bear caused Patel’s death, it would be only the second fatal bear attack recorded in the state’s history. The other occurred in 1852.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Ragonese told reporters Monday that the bear had not been tagged by researchers, so there is no documented history of interaction with other humans.
State and local officials stressed that bear attacks are rare even in a region of the state that may have as many as 2,400 bruins in its dense forests. Chief Storbeck noted that his department receives six to 12 calls per week regarding bears, usually involving them breaking into trash cans.
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