Black Bear Seen Wednesday Near EG-NK Line

The black bear that had been spotted in a residential neighborhood of Cranston Tuesday night was possibly seen on Frenchtown Road near Route 4, according to East Greenwich police and the Department of Environmental Management. 

Dispatcher Mike Harris of the Department of Environmental Management received reports of unconfirmed sightings of the bear around 8 p.m. in a wooded area along the North Kingstown-East Greenwich line.

"If he's there he traveled quite a distance," Harris told the Providence Journal. "We originally thought it would be headed west."

He said members of the East Greenwich and North Kingstown police departments along with three DEM police are actively searching for the bear, who they believe sleeps during the day and comes out at night.

At about 9:45 p.m. an East Greenwich Police dispatcher said sightings had been reported at Route 4 and 403 in North Kingstown and shortly after at Route 4 and Frenchtown Road in East Greenwich. Police in East Greenwich are still actively looking for the bear, the dispatcher confirmed.

If you are the motorist who reported seeing the black bear, please contact Elizabeth.McNamara@patch.com. Thanks!