911 Call Released In Deadly Passaic County Bear Attack
WEST MILFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – Police have released a 911 call made by a friend of the victim of last weekend's deadly bear attack in New Jersey.
"We were hiking and we saw a bear and we all started running and it started chasing us. Two of us are OK, one other person isn't. But two are really close and I'm scared out of my mind for them," the man says on the call with emergency dispatch.
911 Call Released In Deadly Passaic County Bear Attack
Darsh Patel and four friends were hiking in the Apshawa Preserve in northern Passaic County on Sunday when they noticed the bear following them, authorities said. The group scattered and they called police when they realized Patel was missing.
The caller seems confused about where he was and said he and other had been running for about two minutes before ending up near a neighborhood and calling police.
A search team found Patel's body, which showed signs of a bear attack.
"There was bite marks and claw marks on the body," West Milford police Chief Tim Storbeck said.
Police shot and killed a 299-pound bear, which was circling the victim's body.
Wildlife officials believe there is a current shortage of acorns and berries that bears eat.
The hikers had granola bars and water with them, but there is no indication they fed the bear, officials said.
Patel was a senior at Rutgers University's School of Arts and Sciences, majoring in information technology and informatics.
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