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Black Bear Sighted In Englishtown, N.J.

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Police in Englishtown, N.J. are warning residents to take precautions after a black bear was spotted Friday afternoon.

Police received a report of a bear sighting on Iron Ore Road by Mt. Vernon Road, about half a mile outside Englishtown in Manalapan.

Englishtown Black Bear
Black Bear - Englishtown, NJ (via Peter Cooke / Englishtown PD)

When officers got to the area, a landscaper on Woodruff Court in Englishtown advised officers that the bear was nearby.

Officers found it on Heritage Drive. They then chased the bear into a wooded area, then went to the other side where the bear came out.

They then chased it into a heavily wooded section of Manalapan, where they feel it won't pose a threat.

There is no plan to try to capture the animal.

"I've been an officer here for 12 years. This is the first time we've have a bear sighting," Police Lt. Peter Cooke told WCBS 880.

Cooke said that when officers approached the bear, it seemed more afraid of the officers than the officers were of it.

Have you ever seen a black bear up close? Please share your story in the comments section below.

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