Bear found in tree near Warwick elementary school

A black bear was sighted in a tree next to an Orange County elementary school playground Friday, causing a stir in the neighborhood. The staff at Park Avenue School in Warwick kept the students off the

News 12 Staff

May 28, 2014, 6:55 PM

Updated 3,792 days ago

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A black bear was sighted in a tree next to an Orange County elementary school playground Friday, causing a stir in the neighborhood.
The staff at Park Avenue School in Warwick kept the students off the playground while the young, 175-pound bear was perched in a tree top.
?It was huge! It was climbing up, up that tree,? says 3-year-old Harrison Neil, of Warwick. ?We saw it! It was climbing.?
The bear was seen running across the playground, but the Neils' Rottweiler chased it up the tree.
Lt. Tom Maslanka, of the Warwick Police Deparmtent, says officials decided to back off and allow the bear to come down on its own.
Once the bear was on the ground, a crew from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation was able to herd him off the school playground toward the woods.
Officials say no one was hurt in the incident.
For interviews and footage from the bear sighting near Warwick school, go to your digital cable box and select iO Extra, Channel 612.