PHOTOS: Bear that killed New Jersey hiker
Authorities have released 6 photos of the bear that killed a man in New Jersey back in September.
The hiker who was killed took 5 of the photos. A hiker who was with him took the 6th photo, West Milford police said.
The 300-pound black bear approached the hikers in Apshawa Preserve in West Milford on September 21.
The photos were taken from a distance of around 100 feet away from the bear, according to a story in NJ.com.
The hikers tried to get away by scattering, but the bear followed and eventually mauled 22-year-old Darsh Patel to death.
Police later recovered the phone belonging to the Rutgers University student.
Patel was the first confirmed death by bear in New Jersey, where a hunt is planned next month. New Jersey has been holding bear hunts annually since 2010 to counter the increase in bear population now estimated at around 2,500.
