Hopatcong police warn residents about bears, trash

HOPATCONG – Police are asking residents to be careful with their garbage after two incidents involving bears at borough homes.

The most recent incident was on Thursday when a Dibert Road homeowner told police that she walked into her kitchen and saw a bear's head through her window screen, according to Lt. Thomas Kmetz, a department spokesman.

The woman's garbage can was under the window which was open and the bear had broken the screen in order to get to the garbage but was disturbed by the woman and took off, Kmetz said.

The officers who responded to the report said that the bear could have fit inside the window, Kmetz said.

Officer Dave Schultz, Edward Janosko and Sgt. Joseph Magrini searched the area and found the bear in a neighboring yard.

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"The bear could have been destroyed but instead the officers conditioned the bear by shooting it with rubber buck shot," Kmetz said. "The officers followed the bear until it went into the woods off of Lakeside Avenue."

The incident came just two days after police responded to a report of a mother bear with a cub at a home on Dupont Avenue. The garage doors of the home were open and the mother bear had gone in to get at some trash. Police also conditioned that bear with rubber buckshot, Kmetz said.

Police do not know if the same bear was involved in both cases but officers described both as juveniles and the two locations are about a mile apart.

"To have a report of one entering an open garage and one actually breaking a screen to get to garbage within a few days of each other is a concern," Kmetz said. "We are asking the public to be careful where you are placing your garbage. Also look for bears when you bring your garbage out."

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