Black bear jumps from tree in Ohio, takes off running

BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio - A black bear escaped from a tree in an Ohio neighborhood after being stuck there for several hours. The bear is now on the run through Bedford Heights, and crews are pursuing it. Ohio Department of Natural Resources said the bear is in the bushes near a highway.

Crowds and police surrounded the area in northern Ohio where a black bear that was first spotted Monday night was found in a tree.

Bedford residents sighted the bear in a tree on Rockside Road near the Rockside Park Tower Apartments just after 9 a.m. Tuesday. The ordeal continued for nearly six hours.

9 News Scripps Sister Station NewsChannel5 was at the scene and was asked twice by police to step back so the bear could come down on its own. A large crowd gathered across the street at a gas station, snapping photos and taking video of the bear. Police asked people who were not buying gas to move from the area as the sighting caused a traffic jam.

Just before noon, crews did attempt to spray the bear with water to try to get it to come down, but it stayed in the tree (click on the video above to watch raw video from that part of the ordeal).

The black bear was first seen in the area of Columbus Road between Perkins Road and Kimberly Drive around 7:45 p.m Monday. Police said the bear moved into a wooded area and they decided to leave it alone.