Black bear spotted in Needham

NEEDHAM, Mass. (WHDH) -- Residents in Needham are being warned about a black bear that was spotted in a wooded area on Monday morning.

Needham police put out a recorded call saying a bear was spotted around the Needham-Newton line.

The bear was seen in a wooded area near Second Avenue.

Environmental officers and police are looking for the bear.

“We wouldn’t want it getting hit by a car and we didn’t want it causing anybody to get hurt in a crash avoiding it,” said Danielle Landry, Needham Animal Control officer.

Police were called after a bear was spotted in a wooded area off Second Avenue. Officers headed into the woods to try and keep the bear from reaching the street.

“We pretty much just harass it; yell, bang chase it. Pretty much when it does see you it’s going to go the other way anyways,” Landry said.

That's exactly what the black bear did when Walter Hasenfus says he ran into it along the banks of the Charles River. 

“He looked at me for about five seconds and then just dropped down and went right along the river. Just moseyed down there without a care in the world,” Hasenfus said.

But what brings a bear to busy Needham? The owner of the Blue Ribbon Barbecue stand on Second Avenue has a guess:

“Maybe it was the smell of our barbecue here that's drawing the bear nearby,” said Geoff Janowski.

The Needham health department seems to agree. Geoff Janowski received a personal email warning him to beware of an unexpected customer.

Animal control officers believe the bear has cleared out of the wooded area where he was spotted.

A black bear was spotted in the area over the weekend. A bear was reported in Medfield on Saturday, a photo of a bear was taken in Walpole and a bear was reportedly seen in Dedham on Sunday.