Barnegat Township-based social media pages were abuzz late last month with reports of a black bear sighting near the high school football field and other areas of town.

It began in the late morning on June 26 with a Facebook post. “My husband was running at the high school track about thirty minutes ago when he spotted a bear,” posted Zakiya Gibbons Del Orbe. “Luckily, a township policeman happened to be parked in the parking lot. He notified the police, who then contacted animal control.”