Police: Bear spotted in Newark died trying to cross highway

The bear that captivated Delawareans last week has died, state police said.

The animal was struck and killed by a vehicle while attempting to cross Route 1 in the area of School Bell Road near Bear, Delaware, around 11 p.m. last Tuesday.

Police said the Delaware Department of Transportation has removed the animal from the roadway. The driver who hit the bear was not injured.

The bear was first spotted in western Newark more than a week ago, showing up in back yards along Julie Lane in Barksdale Estates.

Later sightings were reported in Scottfield and Bear.

Wildlife biologists from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will conduct an examination of the deceased bear to try to determine where it originated, its age, sex and other information that might be helpful in tracking other transient black bears that venture into Delaware from surrounding states that have resident black bear populations.

The expansion of black bear populations in neighboring states such as Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania has led to occasional sightings in Delaware, officials said.

“We understand the community’s interest in the bear,’” said Joe Rogerson, a DNREC wildlife biologist. “It’s always unfortunate when wildlife is lost in such a manner. Our team will be examining the bear to gather information.”

Police began receiving reports of bear sightings on Saturday, June 22.

Police warned people to be alert but not to attempt tracking or capturing the bear, said Lt. Andrew Rubin, a spokesman for the Newark Police Department.

“It’s a wild animal,” Rubin said. “They’re allowed to run where they want. We’re just letting people know that it’s out there.”

Rachael DeFilippis, who lives on Julie Lane, said her security camera captured video of the bear visiting her back yard shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday.

“We took our dogs out to the back yard about 20 minutes later, and they wouldn’t leave the deck,” DeFilippis said. “They were sniffing the area the bear had been in. We got texts from friends saying there was a bear sighting on our street, so we checked our cameras and there he/she was.”