Police Chief Addresses Recent Bear Sightings

If you see a black bear, exit the area, go to a secure location and contact the police.

That’s the advice Newtown Township Police Chief Rick Pasqualini offered to residents during a supervisors meeting Wednesday. 

Over the past few weeks, a string of black bear sightings have been reported in Newtown and Wrightstown townships.   

To avoid tempting bears to prowl through your neighborhood, be sure to secure trash, the chief said.  “People have to be cognizant of trash." However, Pasqualini said, in the event a resident does see a bear, there’s no need to panic.

“Call us, it’s something we know how to deal with,” he said, adding residents should secure themselves inside their homes and avoid contact with the bear. “They are wild animals.”

Pasqualini added the department tries to avoid killing bears at all costs. Bear sightings are reported to The Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Last week, a resident of Tulip Drive told police she saw a bear outside of her Newtown Grant home. While the officer was on his way to the area, he received another call reporting that a black bear ran across Eagle Road and into the woods in the area of Stoopville Road.  

The area was checked but no bears were located, police said.

In late May, police received four calls regarding