Black Bear Spotted Near Burnet Hill Elementary School

The bear was spotted this morning, between Sterling and Crossbrook Road.

Livingston Public Schools are warning parents to be alert while driving or walking to schools due to a black bear that was spotted near Burnet Hill Elementary School. In a message sent out by Marilyn Joyce Lehren, Manager of Communications and Community Outreach at Livingston Public Schools, parents were warned that a black bear was sighted this morning between Sterling and Crossbrook Road at 7:32 a.m.  The Livingston Police Department arrived at the scene in time to see a small to medium sized bear wandering in the woods.  The bear was not threatening anyone or anything and was last seen headed towards East Orange. At Burnet Hill, children will line up indoors and will not have recess outside on Wednesday, said Lehren.  Parents are told …

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Mary Lynn Noonan-Toschi

8:57 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Wow, when I went to Livingston schools in the 70's we had "bare" sightings but never a bear sighting.   more ›

A Bear Visits Town Hall in Union (Video)

A bear first spotted on Chestnut Street yesterday reappeared this morning in a tree behind town hall, was safely tranquilized and removed.

Residents in nearby Union had a special visitor to their Town Hall as they arrived to work this morning: an 18-month-old, 187-pound male black bear had climbed a tree behind the building and settled in. The bear was previously spotted by a resident on Chestnut Street yesterday, but when police arrived, the bear had disappeared. (Though initial reports stated the bear was sighted near Connecticut Farms Church Nursery School, police told Patch yesterday that the bear was actually in a resident's yard and not near the school.) But today the bear came out of hiding once again, spotted by employees around 8:30 a.m. Police kept an eye on the bear while waiting for a bear rescue team, according to Union Township Media Technician Natalie DaSilva…

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Video: This Black Bear Just Can’t Bear The Heat

In North Caldwell, a bear goes for a dip in a backyard pool.

In North Caldwell, it seems this week’s heat wave was just too much for a black bear to bear so he took a dip in a backyard pool. Dana Strus said she did a double take when she looked out her window. “Nobody’s going to believe me." So she grabbed her camera and went outside to take photos and a few short videos before calling police. The bear, estimated to weigh about 100 pounds, hopped back over the fence before the police arrived.  “There’s not really much we could do about it. It’s not doing anything dangerous,” said North Caldwell Police Chief Mark Deuer. There have been more than 808 bear sightings reported so far in 2011, according to the Division of Fish and Wildlife. Those include the bear spotted at Berliss Bearing in Livingston …

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Reporter's Notebook

Local Voices: Bear! Where?

News tip leads me on a hunt for a bear on Route 10 in Livingston.

I had just finished filing my writeup of this Monday's Town Council meeting when I received an interesting email from Livingston Patch editor Marilyn Lehren that essentially said -- a bear in Livingston, are you home? Fortunately, I was in the area and couldn't pass up the opportunity of capturing a bear sighting within the township. Although it certainly isn't an everyday occurence, bears in Livingston are not all that uncommon, as there have been numerous sightings over the years. A bear being chased along the side of Route 10, however, is a whole different story especially when you factor in the midday rush on the highway. I quickly grabbed my camera and headed up the highway. Before long I arrived in front of the Wigder Chevrolet car …

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Bear Spotted at Berliss Bearing

A black bear leads police on a chase behind buildings on Route 10.

Berliss has been making bearings in Livingston for 60 years but on Thursday it was an actual bear – a black bear, confused and scared according to an eyewitness  -- in the company’s parking lot on Route 10. “It was a first for us and we’ve been here since 1951,” said a Berliss worker who asked that his name not be published. “I tried to stare him down like Davey Crockett but it didn’t work. So I got in my car and drove off.” “Berliss Bearing had a bear in the parking lot,” said Det. Sgt. Anthony Dippold. “It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it?” The Passaic River runs through the wooded property behind the Berliss building, and Dippold said it was likely the young black bear was looking for food. “He didn’t appear to be aggressive at all.” The bear…

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Black Bear Seen by the Bridge Near Burnet Hill School

If you see the bear, here are some tips: Look bigger than you are. Make lots of noise. Don't run.

The black bear living in the woods near Burnet Hill Elementary School was spotted Tuesday afternoon in the brook that runs near the school, Livingston police said. The bear was seen near the walking bridge between Bryon Place and Meadowbrook Road, close to the time when school gets out. Teachers helped patrol the area to make sure children safely got home, along with police and Animal Control. Black bears are not dangerous but there is a concern since the bear is close to the school, said Det. Sgt. Anthony Dippold. Last week, first graders saw the bear outside their classroom window. “We were assured by Livingston Animal Control that they were aware of the location of the animal and were monitoring our grounds,” said Principal Lisa Capone-…

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grassfox

10:47 am on Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Hello, anybody?   more ›

Students Say They Saw a Bear At Burnet Hill School

Police and Animal Control search the woods and recess is held inside as a precaution.

Students said they sighted a bear outside of Burnet Hill Elementary School on Thursday morning, said Principal Lisa Capone-Steiger in a letter sent home to parents. Bear sightings are common in New Jersey and school officials took the first graders' sighting seriously. "I wouldn't be shocked because I've seen bears in our town before," said Jimmy Salvadore, the township's animal control officer. Livingston police and the  Animal Control Unit searched the area. "I walked around the woods for about a half hour," Salvadore said. "I couldn't find any tracks because of the melting snow." Recess was held inside as a precaution, the principal said. The Livingston Animal Control Unit continued surveillance of the school on Byron Place throughout …

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