Did a Bear and 4 Cubs Really Live Under a New Jersey Home for Weeks? Inside the True Story
A Bergen County, New Jersey, family got the surprise of a lifetime when a mother bear and her four cubs took up residence beneath their home — and stayed far longer than anyone expected.
Veronica O’Brien-Lim and Vincent Lim discovered the bears had settled into a gap beneath an addition to their house. The previous owners had dug a foundation under only half of the addition, creating an opening the bears found ideal for a den.
“So they were living under here because the previous owners when they built this addition, they dug a foundation under half of it,” O’Brien-Lim said, per WABC.
Residents Watched the Bear Count Grow
The Lims initially spotted a few cubs before realizing the full scope of their situation.
“We saw that there were actually three cubs and then eventually four cubs, and then I think we have the final count now as one adult bear and four cubs,” Lim told Optimum News 12.
“The initial reaction we saw them was, Wow, this is so cool. And they’re adorable.”
But curiosity turned to concern as the bears grew bolder. The animals rummaged through neighbors’ trash and dragged it back to the den. The cubs took a particular interest in the home’s outdoor equipment.
“The cubs are very intrigued by our central air unit, and so they’re using that as a climbing gym, and they’re chewing at the hoses and wires and things like that,” Lim said.
“People around here are concerned … because there are a lot of kids in the neighborhood,” he added.
Wildlife Officials Said Bears Would Move On
O’Brien-Lim contacted NJDEP Fish & Wildlife for help, but the response was not what she had hoped. Officials explained that intervening carried serious risks for the animals.
“It seems like any intervention is really a last course of action,” she said. “If they haze the mother out, she would possibly run and abandon the cubs, and then they would have to find another sow to basically put them with. Or if they tranquilized her and caught the cubs, they would have to create a new den for them nearby.”
Wildlife officials told the family the bears would move on after a couple of days. Two more weeks passed.
Quiet Street Became a Neighborhood Spectacle
The extended stay drew crowds to the area. O’Brien-Lim said the bears caused increased traffic in the neighborhood.
“The first week after she posted that they were under there before they started coming out really, it was like paparazzi here, cars driving by, people walking by, where are the bears? It’s not a zoo,” said neighbor Donna VanRy.
A Cub Needed Rescue After Leaving Den
In April 2026, the bear family finally emerged. But the departure did not go smoothly for everyone. One cub got stuck trying to leave the area, and a neighbor heard it crying for help in his backyard.
“Then I went down and looked at a little cub trying to get over fence couldn’t make it,” neighbor Ray Miller said.
A Fish and Wildlife crew rescued the cub and brought it back to its mother. Officials said the bears were searching for food due to the unusually warm weather but said they might come back later on Tuesday or again in the fall when it’s time to hibernate.
The Lim family has been advised to seal off the area beneath their house.
What This Means for Residents of Bergen County
Bears sometimes wander into residential areas searching for food and space. As natural habitats shrink or become fragmented, species like the American black bear are pushed closer to neighborhoods where food sources such as garbage, pet food and crops are easy to access. Bears quickly learn to return to places where they’ve found reliable meals, and younger or displaced bears are more likely to explore unfamiliar areas.
NJDEP Fish & Wildlife reminded the public of the importance of securing trash and other possible food sources that can attract bears to properties. The agency said the bear appeared to be in the process of moving its cubs at the time of its site visit.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
