Community Corner
Police Track 100-lb. Bear Through Borough
Click on our map to see the different borough streets where the bear was sighted.
Chatham Borough Police and residents had a surprise Thursday morning when a black bear was sighted north of Main Street.
Police Chief Philip J. Crosson said the bear weighed about 100 lbs. and was seen along Elmwood Avenue, Coleman Avenue, Center Street and Weston Avenue.
"He did not display any aggressive behavior nor did he represent a threat to public safety," Crosson said.
Other residents and witnesses said they saw the bear walking towards Main Street from between Elmwood Avenue and Center Street.
Bear sightings usually occur in Chatham Township, where the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge sits on a large portion of the southernmost part of town. A bear sighting in Chatham Borough, to the north of the township, is rare.
Crosson said patrol followed the bear and eventually saw it disappear into the woods behind Jackson Avenue.
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