911 audio reveals drama of bear attack in Rockaway Twp.
Calm voices and steady nerves are evident on both sides of dramatic phone calls between a trio of Boy Scouts and police trying to find them in the deep woods of Rockaway Township after their scoutmaster was mauled by a bear on Dec. 20.
One young scout — heard on 911 audio recordings obtained by the Daily Record — spent more than an hour on the phone with dispatchers attempting to pinpoint their location and direct multiple authorities including a New Jersey State Police helicopter to them. A sergeant from Picatinny Arsenal was the first to arrive on the scene.
LISTEN: 911 rescue of man injured by bear in Rockaway Twp.
"He got me good," Scoutmaster Christopher Petronino, 50, of Boonton, told the dispatcher by phone after emerging from a cave where a black bear attacked him and lay on top of him for an undetermined period of time.
Based on time-date stamps of the audio clips, 84 minutes passed between the 911 phone call made by one scout and responders arriving on the scene between Splitrock Reservoir and Lake Winnebago near Buck Mountain, a rural area in a region where the annual New Jersey bear hunt had concluded a day earlier.
"I think the bear is on top of him," one scout told the dispatcher while he was standing about 10 feet from the entrance to the cave where Petronino encountered the bear after stepping inside.
Transcript of 9-11 call from scouts, scoutmaster http://dailyre.co/1YT5msp
While trying to explain where they were, the scout could be heard calling to Petronino, asking if he was OK. And for about six tense minutes, he received no reply before Petronino finally answered.
The scout also can be heard calmly asking questions and making suggestions, and saying "thank you" several times.
SEE ALSO: Scoutmaster escapes bear attack in Rockaway Twp. http://dailyre.co/1m2LQxP
"Is anyone on their way?" the boy asked.
"Yes, they're all on their way," the female dispatcher said. "Just stay on the phone with me, alright?"
"OK, I promise," the boy said.
The boys, however, were a little vague on exactly where they were, first stating they were traveling a "blue trail" before mentioning there were two blue trails and they were on the "light blue" one. While they waited, the scout on the phone said they were going to put their supply of food, including sandwiches and a banana, near the mouth of the cave as instructed by their wounded supervisor in an attempt to lure the bear out.
SEE ALSO: N.J. Officials: If bear attacks, go for the snout http://dailyre.co/1m4BE7Y
They also split up at one point, with two of the boys moving back to the trail they detoured from, but staying within eyesight of each other.
"Stay together," the boy on the phone told his friends. "Remember, buddy system."
The boys also decided to start a signal fire and were attempting to do so when the authorities on the ground finally reached them while the helicopter hovered above.
LETTER: Don’t blame bear for attack on scout leader http://dailyre.co/1YCRLFz
But the tapes also revealed the boys, however calm they may have sounded on the phone, also were aware of the real danger they were in.
At one point, they said they could see the bear and were running away because they were afraid of the animal.
Later, the boy on the phone said, "If I don't get out alive, I love you guys."
Audio recordings of Petronino's call to 911 after emerging from the cave also were released. He, too, spoke calmly while describing serious injuries.
"How bad are you injured?" a male dispatcher asked.
"Pretty bad," Petronino answered with labored breathing.
"Where are you bleeding, sir?" he was asked.
'All over," Petronino replied. "Left arm, left leg, neck, and head. He got me good."
Petronino told police he knew the area well and had never before encountered bears there. According to the police report, when they arrived at the cave, he asked the boys if they wanted to go inside and they said no. Once he stepped inside, the bear dragged Petronino in further where the boys could not see him, but heard him yell to call 911.
Petronino and the boys are part of a Boonton-based Boy Scout Troop. The Hanover-based Patriots' Path Council of the Boy Scouts of America released a statement that the scoutmaster and boys were on an "a personal trip" that was "not related to scouting."
Petronino was transported to Morristown Medical Center. His current condition is unknown. The boys were transported to township police headquarters and released to their parents.
Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.