Black bear causes a stir as it explores Hamilton neighborhood

🐻 Ring video captured the black bear in the University Heights neighborhood

🐻 The bear was not being aggressive

🐻 A bear was spotted in neighboring West Windsor on Sunday

HAMILTON (Mercer) — Residents of a Mercer County neighborhood were greeted by a black bear running down the street Monday morning.

Video captured by a homeowner's Ring video showed the bear in the area of Paxson Avenue and Edinburg Road in the University Heights neighborhood in the Mercerville section of Hamilton around 8 a.m., galloping between yards.

Animal Control said they received several calls and went to the neighborhood to track the bear.

The bear has not been aggressive and is believed to be passing through in search of food, according to Mayor Jeff Martin.

“We understand this may be alarming for residents, but black bears are generally shy and will avoid human interaction," Martin said. "We have posted information on our website and social media platforms to ensure that the public knows what to do if they encounter a black bear and urge residents to keep their distance."

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said it was aware of the bear but took no action.

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A black bear in Hamilton (Mercer) 4/21/25 (Listener submitted)

Same bear in West Windsor?

Members of the Hamilton Happenings in Mercer County NJ Facebook group hoped the bear would be relocated and not shot. They offered up their own theories on why a bear was present in the first place.

"Bears, deer etc have no place to go. They keep building fast food establishments. And, I can't believe how many Wawas there are in the Hamilton area alone A lot of 55 and over residences too," one resident wrote.

"Not cool.. can be dangerous. They are looking for food. And they too are homeless," another person wrote.

Some speculated it was the same bear spotted in West Windsor on Saturday in the area of the Mews and again off Penn Lyle Road. The neighborhood is 7 miles north of Mercer County Park.

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If you encounter a bear:

DON’T

Do not feed bears.
Do not approach bears. Especially feeding bears, which will aggressively defend their food.
Do not run from bears. Running may trigger a chase response.
Do not make direct eye contact. Bears may perceive this as a challenge.

Remain calm and slowly back away.
Make the bear aware of you.
Be loud: speak in an assertive voice, yell, sing, or clap your hands. If available, bang pots and pans or use an air horn.
Make yourself look big. Wave your arms. Hold your jacket above your head.
If you’re in a group, stay together and perform these actions together.
Make sure the bear has an escape route. If a bear enters your home, prop all the doors open.
If the bear doesn’t leave, move to a secure area.
Black bear attacks are extremely rare. If a black bear does attack, fight back! Aim for the snout and/or eyes. Use anything at hand: knife, sticks, rocks, binoculars, backpack, or kick the bear
Report black bear damage or nuisance behavior to the DEP’s 24-hour, toll-free hotline at 1-877-WARN DEP (1-877-927-6337).

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