UPDATED: 1:34 p.m., Friday:
A Middletown Township police official said the bear made a clean escape Friday afternoon.
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By 1:10 p.m., Pennsylvania Game Commission wardens with a bear trailer headed out of the area and Old Lincoln Highway was reopened.
Detective Lt. Steve Forman said the bear was tracked into the woods off Deer Drive and then disappeared under the heavy foliage.
Police in Middletown Township and surrounding municipalities will keep an eye out for the bear.
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Original Story:
A black bear is on the loose in Middletown Township midday Friday, as law enforcement and game wardens worked to corner the animal.
Police closed a section of Old Lincoln Highway and deployed ground units and a drone in the search late Friday morning.
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The bear was initially spotted at Our Lady of Grace Cemetery before moving to nearby residential areas.
As of 12:10 p.m., the bear had not been captured but was sighted near the woods on Deer Drive.
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A resident on Ravine Drive reported the bear running past him, and another neighbor called 9-1-1.
One man, who said he previously lived in the Poconos, estimated the bear to be 250 to 300 pounds.
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A reporter spotted the bear entering underbrush and flagged down a passing patrol vehicle.
A game warden entered the woods armed with a dart gun.
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As of 12:15 p.m., the search was ongoing, according to a police official.
As a precaution, students at Neshaminy High School were instructed to remain inside the building, and a reverse 9-1-1 call was issued to area residents.
A bear was sighted by Maple Point Middle School in the township Thursday morning.
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