HOPATCONG — A worker cleaning a vacant house last Friday found an unwelcome squatter in the crawl space.
A bear.
The state Division of Fish and Wildlife Division removed the male 350-pound bear around 9 this morning, said Larry Ragonese, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The animal was apparently hibernating underneath the house — and had even dug into a depression under the house and wrapped himself in some insulation from the home, Ragonese said.
Mike Madonia, a senior wildlife biologist for the state, chased the bear away around 9:45 a.m., Ragonese said. Though the bear was reluctant to leave and lethargic, he eventually left the house, Ragonese added.
The bear was discovered by a cleaner, who was preparing the house on Indian Trail to go up for sale. The cleaner noticed bear feces when he went down the steps into the home's crawl space on Dec. 13, said Lt. Thomas Kmetz of the Hopatcong police.
The worker quickly left and called the police.
Two officers arrived just after noon, Kmetz said. One officer peered into the crawl space – and saw the head of the bruin behind some debris, just five feet away, the lieutenant added. The two officers left the home and notified Fish and Wildlife.
For now, a representative from Fish and Wildlife is standing guard over the house to ensure the bear doesn't return. The Realtor has been advised to seal the crawlspace.
"It if continues to return, we'll tranquilize and remove it," Ragonese said.
The bear was discovered on the second-to-last day of the New Jersey bear hunt, which culled 251 bears over the six-day season last week. Thirty-three bears were killed the day the animal was found in the Hopatcong house, according to the state DEP. Protection.
About a dozen bears burrow under porches, decks, sheds and homes each year in New Jersey, Ragonese said. Currently, Fish and Wildlife is responding to similar incidents in Sussex Borough, Branchville, and Vernon, he added.