Black Bear Captured Near Orchard Elementary School [Update]

A yearling black bear whose presence in Ridgewood forced students at two schools to remain indoors this afternoon was successfully removed from a Bellair Road tree Tuesday night.

According to Ridgewood Police Sgt. Heath James, state wildlife officials safely removed the bear at around 6 p.m. from the backyard of a resident on the 100 block of Bellair Road. New Jersey Fish & Game workers will relocate the bear.

First spotted at around 2 p.m. on Hempstead Road, the small bear retreated to a tall tree in a wooded area on Bellair, where it remained until being tranquilized and removed by state wildlife officials.

Superintendent Dan Fishbein said kids were kept inside at both G.W. Middle School and Orchard Elementary School when reports of the sighting first emerged. Letters were also sent to parents at both schools, he said.

A small black bear was also spotted in Wyckoff on Hil-Ray Avenue earlier in the day. Police did not know if it was the same bear captured in Ridgewood seven approximately hours later.

It's not the first time a black bear roamed through Ridgewood in recent years. In 2011, former mayor Keith Killion helped retrieve a black bear named "Bosco" off Linwood Avenue.

Last updated at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.