Black bear spotted in Barnegat on Route 72
BARNEGAT - Dawn Kramer was driving west on Route 72 in Barnegat shortly after noon Thursday when her niece Adriana raised an unusual question.
"Is that a bear?" Her niece asked.
It was, in fact, a black bear.
"I slammed on my brakes because it was about to cross," Kramer, of Lacey, told the Asbury Park Press in a phone interview.
It is unclear if this is the same bear spotted Wednesday near Route 9 in nearby Stafford.
The encounter, near Pinewood Drive, was exciting rather than frightening, Kramer said. She knew what bears look like generally, "but I wanted to see that bear."
Kramer's daughter Hazel and another niece, Dakota, were also riding in the car.
"It's neat, it looked like it was minding its own business," Kramer said. "It kind of looked like it was afraid to cross, but then it crossed."
Barnegat police reported an earlier bear sighting on Sunday.
Black bears have been seen in Little Egg Harbor earlier this month and in Atlantic Highlands in May.
Alex N. Gecan covers local news and unsolved mysteries for the Asbury Park Press. You can reach him at 732-547-1365 or agecan@gannettnj.com, or follow him on Twitter @GeeksterTweets.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Black bear spotted in Barnegat NJ crossing Route 72
