NJ allows no bear hunting...
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Apparent bear attack killed Edison man, 22, in West Milford
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A sign along Macopin Road in West Milford marks the entrance to Apshawa Preserve. 22 year old Darsh Patel of Edison was found dead at the Preserve following an encounter with a 299 pound black bear. Patel was among a group of five Edison men hiking in the area. (Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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Myles Ma | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com By Myles Ma | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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on September 22, 2014 at 6:55 AM, updated September 22, 2014 at 3:04 PM
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apshawa.jpg Police say a hiker's body was discovered in the Apshawa Preserve. Google Maps
WEST MILFORD — An Edison hiker was found dead Sunday after an encounter with a bear, police said.
Darsh Patel was 22.
Patel was part of a group of five Edison men hiking through the Apshawa Preserve, a wooded area of West Milford, Police Chief Timothy C. Storbeck said in a press release. They ran in different directions when a black bear began to follow them.
Four of the five men were able to find one another, Storbeck said. They called police at about 3:45 p.m. when they couldn't locate Patel.
The West Milford Search and Rescue unit found Patel's body at about 5:54 p.m.
"Evidence at the scene indicated that the victim had been attacked by a bear," Storbeck said.
A bear was found nearby and euthanized, Storbeck said.
The New Jersey State Medical Examiner, the Fish and Wildlife Division of the state Department of Environmental Protection and West Milford Police Department are investigating Patel's death.
The Passaic County Sheriff's Department, Passaic County CSI, West Milford First Aid Squad and West Milford Fire Department Company 1 assisted with the search.
Bears in New Jersey are most active in the fall, according to Bob Considine, a spokesman with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
“Bear sightings are not unusual by any stretch in New Jersey,” Considine said. “They have been seen in all 21 counties, although they’re obviously most common in the northwest part of the state.”
In August 2011, a bear invaded a Sussex County camp where a group of nine boys and two counselors were sleeping at 4:30 a.m. The bear pulled a sleeping bag and swiped at a tent, knocking it down. No one was hurt.
In July 2009, a bear took a sub sandwich a man had left outside his car in Vernon, then attacked the man. The victim suffered a head injury and dislocated shoulder.
NJ Advance Media reporter Anthony G. Attrino contributed to this report.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NJ hiker killed by bear
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Re: NJ hiker killed by bear
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Related Tags: Apshawa Preserve, Black Bear, Darsh Patel, Peter Haskell, Rebecca Granet, Rutgers University, Tony Aiello
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WEST MILFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) – A Rutgers University senior who was hiking with friends in a New Jersey nature preserve was attacked and killed by a nearly 300-pound black bear over the weekend.
Five friends from Edison were hiking in the Apshawa Preserve in northern Passaic County when they encountered the bear on Sunday, West Milford police said. The group became frightened and ran in different directions after the bear began following them, police said.
Hiker Darsh Patel, 22, may have twisted his ankle and fallen, becoming separated from his friends, CBS 2’s Tony Aiello reported.
The group noticed Patel was missing once they got to safety and immediately called police.
Bear Suspected Of Killing 22-Year-Old Hiker In New Jersey
Peter Haskell reports
play
A search team found Patel’s body and police said evidence indicated he had been attacked by a bear.
A male bear, approximately 4 years old and 299 pounds, was found about 40 yards away guarding the body and was shot dead by a West Milford police officer, authorities said.
WEB EXTRA: What To Do If You Encounter A Bear
“There was a bear that was circling the area that would not leave the victim. The search and rescue team that had been back there was clapping their hands, trying to make noises…trying to scare it off, but it never really left,” West Milford Police Chief Tim Storbeck said. “It just kept lingering, it kept trying to circle back around, so at that time is when the officer shot.”
The cause for the attack remains unknown. The hikers had granola bars and water with them, but there is no indication that they fed the bear, officials said.
State wildlife officials are assisting with the investigation and a necropsy will be performed on the bear.
“The bear has been brought to a state laboratory for a full necropsy to make sure that this is the animal involved in the attack and to determine potential causes for the attack, what may have prompted this bear to be aggressive,” New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Ragonese said.
Bear Suspected Of Killing 22-Year-Old Hiker In New Jersey
Rebecca Granet reports
play
In a statement, the mayor of West Milford said the entire circumstances of the deadly encounter will be reviewed.
Patel was a senior at Rutgers University’s School of Arts and Sciences, majoring in information technology and informatics.
“As we grieve over his tragic passing, please know that our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones and to all his friends and fellow students at Rutgers,” Rutgers Chancellor Richard L. Edwards, Ph.D. said in a statement.
The Apshawa Preserve is a 576-acre natural area used for hiking and bird watching.
Signs at the preserve parking lot mention nothing about potential bear encounters, but residents in the heavily wooded corner of Passaic County said bear sightings are common in the area, especially in spring, summer and fall.
Many were shocked to hear of the fatal attack.
“Probably two, three times a week you’ll see them sometimes,” Bloomingdale resident Harvey Miller told WCBS 880’s Peter Haskell. “I was kind of scared about it.”
“We see them in our neighborhoods all the time and there’s never been any aggression towards anybody ever,” said parkgoer John Davidson. “Everyone was shocked because this has never happened.”
“I don’t feel safe at all,” one hiker told Granet. “I’m sure there’s bear in all the woods on all the trails but we haven’t encountered anything like this before.”
“I avoid them and they’re usually very skittish as soon as they see a human they’re gone, they’re very fast, run probably 35 miles per hour, very fast,” said county resident Ed Smith.
This appears to be the first-ever instance of a black bear killing a person in New Jersey.
“What happened this week is not a typical event,” Ragonese said. “There have been no previous fatal attacks by bears in New Jersey in recent history.”
In 2002, a black bear killed a baby girl from Brooklyn. The child was snatched from a stroller at a resort colony in the Catskills while her mother led other children to safety.
Meanwhile, a long-planned seminar is being held at the township building at 7 p.m. Monday on how to coexist peacefully with black bears.
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Related Tags: Apshawa Preserve, Black Bear, Darsh Patel, Peter Haskell, Rebecca Granet, Rutgers University, Tony Aiello
TRI-STATE NEWS HEADLINES
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WEST MILFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) – A Rutgers University senior who was hiking with friends in a New Jersey nature preserve was attacked and killed by a nearly 300-pound black bear over the weekend.
Five friends from Edison were hiking in the Apshawa Preserve in northern Passaic County when they encountered the bear on Sunday, West Milford police said. The group became frightened and ran in different directions after the bear began following them, police said.
Hiker Darsh Patel, 22, may have twisted his ankle and fallen, becoming separated from his friends, CBS 2’s Tony Aiello reported.
The group noticed Patel was missing once they got to safety and immediately called police.
Bear Suspected Of Killing 22-Year-Old Hiker In New Jersey
Peter Haskell reports
play
A search team found Patel’s body and police said evidence indicated he had been attacked by a bear.
A male bear, approximately 4 years old and 299 pounds, was found about 40 yards away guarding the body and was shot dead by a West Milford police officer, authorities said.
WEB EXTRA: What To Do If You Encounter A Bear
“There was a bear that was circling the area that would not leave the victim. The search and rescue team that had been back there was clapping their hands, trying to make noises…trying to scare it off, but it never really left,” West Milford Police Chief Tim Storbeck said. “It just kept lingering, it kept trying to circle back around, so at that time is when the officer shot.”
The cause for the attack remains unknown. The hikers had granola bars and water with them, but there is no indication that they fed the bear, officials said.
State wildlife officials are assisting with the investigation and a necropsy will be performed on the bear.
“The bear has been brought to a state laboratory for a full necropsy to make sure that this is the animal involved in the attack and to determine potential causes for the attack, what may have prompted this bear to be aggressive,” New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Ragonese said.
Bear Suspected Of Killing 22-Year-Old Hiker In New Jersey
Rebecca Granet reports
play
In a statement, the mayor of West Milford said the entire circumstances of the deadly encounter will be reviewed.
Patel was a senior at Rutgers University’s School of Arts and Sciences, majoring in information technology and informatics.
“As we grieve over his tragic passing, please know that our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones and to all his friends and fellow students at Rutgers,” Rutgers Chancellor Richard L. Edwards, Ph.D. said in a statement.
The Apshawa Preserve is a 576-acre natural area used for hiking and bird watching.
Signs at the preserve parking lot mention nothing about potential bear encounters, but residents in the heavily wooded corner of Passaic County said bear sightings are common in the area, especially in spring, summer and fall.
Many were shocked to hear of the fatal attack.
“Probably two, three times a week you’ll see them sometimes,” Bloomingdale resident Harvey Miller told WCBS 880’s Peter Haskell. “I was kind of scared about it.”
“We see them in our neighborhoods all the time and there’s never been any aggression towards anybody ever,” said parkgoer John Davidson. “Everyone was shocked because this has never happened.”
“I don’t feel safe at all,” one hiker told Granet. “I’m sure there’s bear in all the woods on all the trails but we haven’t encountered anything like this before.”
“I avoid them and they’re usually very skittish as soon as they see a human they’re gone, they’re very fast, run probably 35 miles per hour, very fast,” said county resident Ed Smith.
This appears to be the first-ever instance of a black bear killing a person in New Jersey.
“What happened this week is not a typical event,” Ragonese said. “There have been no previous fatal attacks by bears in New Jersey in recent history.”
In 2002, a black bear killed a baby girl from Brooklyn. The child was snatched from a stroller at a resort colony in the Catskills while her mother led other children to safety.
Meanwhile, a long-planned seminar is being held at the township building at 7 p.m. Monday on how to coexist peacefully with black bears.
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