Second Bear Spotted In As Many Days In Montclair, N.J.
MONTCLAIR, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A bear was spotted in Montclair for the second day in a row Wednesday, prompting local schools to keep kids inside and making suburban residents feel as if they are living out in the wilderness.
Despite ways to track the animals' movements, people are wondering what is up with all the bears.
"I thought I was hallucinating or something," 12-year-old Lily Seraydarian told CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez.
Second Bear Spotted In As Many Days In Montclair, N.J.
But Lily was not imagining things. There was indeed a real black bear creeping around her Highland Avenue home in Montclair, and she took a picture with her cell phone.
"I see the black bear stopping right here, and then I just like freeze, going like, 'What is that?'" Lily said. "And then I, like, screamed, 'Bear!'"
With another bear on the loose, local schools suspended all outdoor activities for the second day in a row.
"The teacher, she was talking on the phone, then she came over to us and she's like, 'Oh no! Guess what! Today they found another bear!'" said 8-year-old Julia Heiman.
It was the second bear sighting in Montclair in as many days, but this one remained at large.
On Tuesday, an 18-month-old bear was found up a tree in Watchung Park in Montclair. He stayed elevated for nearly three hours and captivated a crowd, until wildlife experts tranquilized him.
Residents said the furry visitors have made it an exciting week.
"It's kind of neat in a way to have nature around the house," said Steve Hughes of Montclair. "But bears, not so great with the kids around."
The bear spotted Wednesday was also seen walking down Bradford Avenue, witnesses said.
The state Division of Fish & Wildlife said bear sightings in Montclair are not completely out of the ordinary. But before the sighting Tuesday, the last bear sighting in the area was in January.
There have been bear sightings in all 21 counties of New Jersey this year.
Last week, a mother bear and her two cubs were captured after roaming around Randolph.
Wildlife experts said it is the time of year when many bears find their way into the suburbs looking for food, mates and safe haven.
Eleanor Hughes, 5, and her brother Jack, 2, said they know just what to do if a bear hits their neighborhood.
"If you really see a bear, you really have to just walk away," Eleanor said.
"I'd say, 'Stop, bear! Get of my house!'" Jack added.
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