A Fairfield woman shared details of a recent encounter with a
beloved bear following its death earlier
this week.
Easton police say the black bear, dubbed 'Bear 211' because of its ear
tags, was hit by a vehicle on Route 136 around 6:30 p.m. Monday. They say
it had to be euthanized because of its injuries.
Allison Stein says her backyard on Eleven O’Clock Road may have been one of the last places
Bear 211 visited before he was hit by the vehicle.
“It was pretty upsetting I have to say, very
surreal that we'd just seen him two days, two or so days before,” says Stein.
The woman says she was celebrating her son's fourth birthday with a splash pad
on Saturday when the unexpected guest arrived.
"I see him kind of wandering right around that flower bed over there,
heading towards the kids on the splash pad,” recalls Stein.
The mother tells News 12 that she grabbed her two children and ran indoors
as Bear 211 made himself comfortable in the backyard.
“He got on the splash pad and actually ripped it. So
he got really comfy and really cool…It came on the deck and went up to the glass door,” says Stein.
At the time, Stein says she hadn't realized the large animal was a local
celebrity whose Facebook page had garnered nearly 5,000 followers.
"You could tell he just wanted to cool off, was a little tired and
probably a little hungry,” says Stein. “But it was nice and definitely gratifying to know
that he had a fun filled afternoon with us…In hindsight I'm really thankful that I did get to spend some time with
him."
Officials say by the time they arrived on scene Monday, the driver of that
vehicle had left the scene. They tell News 12 a hit-and-run law does not apply
when it comes to bears.