Black bear spotted in busy Cranston neighborhood

CRANSTON, R.I. (AP) -- A black bear estimated to weigh about 200 pounds has been spotted by several people in a busy Cranston neighborhood.

There have been several sightings of the bear in the Auburn neighborhood, which is not far from Roger Williams Park in Providence.

WJAR-TV obtained video from a business on Pontiac Avenue, a major thoroughfare. It showed the bear trotting alongside a parking lot at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The Department of Environmental Management tells The Providence Journal (http://bit.ly/QWiDOo) that since then, the bear appears to have found the Pocasset River and headed west.

The agency says black bears are becoming more common in New England, although it's unusual to see one in Cranston.

They say people shouldn't approach or feed a bear.