There's bear trouble in two neighboring North Jersey towns.

Black bear
Black bear (NJ Fish and Wildlife)
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Traps were set in Oakland for a bear that may have come in contact with a 7-year-old boy as he hiked in the Ramapo Mountain State Forest on Saturday. State Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Caryn Shinske said the boy had scratches on his body and was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center. It was not known if the marks came from the bear or from thorns and branches in the woods.

Oakland Mayor Linda Schwager told  "There is no cause for alarm," read a message on the Borough Facebook page about the  bear that weighs an estimated 200 pounds.

Meanwhile, a bear was seen in Wayne Township walking between yards in the Mark Valley section of the Passaic County community. “He was going over fences — any type of fence, any height — with no problem whatsoever,” resident Kevin Scott told NorthJersey.com.  “Chain link didn’t stop him, vinyl, wood, it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter the height, he just went over them.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

 

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