Taken from The Hunterdon County Democrat.
High Bridge- Barely avoiding a dangerous accident, bicyclist Garry Kansky, who lives on cregar road, had a close encounter of the furry kind in the wee hours of Saturday Morning when he collided with a bear.
Around 2:30 a.m., Mr. Kansky, 33, left Mrs. Riley's Publick House and Trattoria on Main Street and was riding home along the abandoned railroad tracks behind the Borough Commons, when he said his bicycle hit a bear. "The bear reared up" as the bike toppled said Mr. Kansky. He was able to hop off the bicycle as it fell. The bear, which was "about 6 feet tall" when standing on its hind legs, then moved away.
Uninjured, Mr.Kansky got back on his bike and cycled on to cregar road, where he saw a police car. He flagged down Patrolman Brett Bartman to report that there was a bear in the area. But, when he told his bike-bear collision story, the oficer asked whether Mr. Kansky could have mistaken a large dog for a bear. Mr. Kansky, who said he did have a few drinks earlier that night, maintained that he was "not delusional," and sticks to his story.
"There was a bear in my back yard three weeks ago," he said, adding that bear sightings in the area are common.
Police Chief Edward Spinks said there have been more than a dozen bear sightings reported in the area, but this is the first he has heard locally of a person having actual contact with a bear. This incident is more proof, he said, that residents need to be aware and keep their garage cans closed and not put out bird feeders, both of which attract bears.
High Bridge- Barely avoiding a dangerous accident, bicyclist Garry Kansky, who lives on cregar road, had a close encounter of the furry kind in the wee hours of Saturday Morning when he collided with a bear.
Around 2:30 a.m., Mr. Kansky, 33, left Mrs. Riley's Publick House and Trattoria on Main Street and was riding home along the abandoned railroad tracks behind the Borough Commons, when he said his bicycle hit a bear. "The bear reared up" as the bike toppled said Mr. Kansky. He was able to hop off the bicycle as it fell. The bear, which was "about 6 feet tall" when standing on its hind legs, then moved away.
Uninjured, Mr.Kansky got back on his bike and cycled on to cregar road, where he saw a police car. He flagged down Patrolman Brett Bartman to report that there was a bear in the area. But, when he told his bike-bear collision story, the oficer asked whether Mr. Kansky could have mistaken a large dog for a bear. Mr. Kansky, who said he did have a few drinks earlier that night, maintained that he was "not delusional," and sticks to his story.
"There was a bear in my back yard three weeks ago," he said, adding that bear sightings in the area are common.
Police Chief Edward Spinks said there have been more than a dozen bear sightings reported in the area, but this is the first he has heard locally of a person having actual contact with a bear. This incident is more proof, he said, that residents need to be aware and keep their garage cans closed and not put out bird feeders, both of which attract bears.
