New Bedford police hold off search for black bear after it hides in woods of Acushnet

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) — New Bedford and environmental police officers are closing in on a black bear that’s been wandering the city since Monday.

Police said just before 11 a.m. the bear left New Bedford’s north end and was in the woods of Acushnet. Police held off on pursuing the bear until it comes out on its own.

An ABC 6 News viewer sent in videos of the bear in front of Pa Raffa’s Italian Restaurant on Acushnet Avenue.

The bear hops up on a rock wall at the front yard of a home directly across the street.

New Bedford police said the bear was seen walking through neighborhoods and the forest behind the New Bedford Regional Airport.

Viewer-submitted video shows the bear hiding under a deck at a home in the city’s north end on Monday. The bear then waits for someone to walk by before cutting across the yard.

Police aren’t sure if one or multiple bears have been traveling southeastern Massachusetts lately.

While the latest sighting appears to be one looking for spaghetti at Pa Raffa’s, other sightings show the animals stealing a bird feeder in Dartmouth and lounging out on a deck in Fall River.

Officials directed residents to bear safety tips provided by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife.

Police said to report further bear sightings by calling 911.