Video: Authorities Tranquilize Black Bear in South Nyack

Update [2:35 p.m.]

A tranquilizer dart delivered to the neck brought down a young black bear that had climbed a tree in South Nyack earlier today.

The Department of Environmental Control (DEC) set up headquarters on top of a nearby garage with the help of local police, placing nets and mats around to catch the bear once it fell.

But the bear's reaction to the dart was frenetic; once hit, it climbed further up the tree. After about five minutes, the animal succumbed to the tranquilizer and fell about 20 feet, hitting the garage roof and rolling onto a nearby lawn. It missed the nets.

Authorities said the bear did not sustain life-threatening injuries. DEC employees went to work treating a neck wound and tagging the animal; it will be transported to the Catskills, they said.

The bear weighed 95-pounds and was about two-years-old, authorities added.

Update [12:31 p.m.]

After more than two hours, a young black bear remains stuck in a South Nyack tree.

are tasked with keeping the bear in the tree—and out of nearby yards and streets—until the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) arrives.

The bear has attempted to climb down from the tree several times, snorting and swatting branches in the process. Police are using loud noises and a long pole to keep the bear above ground.

A crowd of about ten residents has gathered in the lot behind a nearby apartment complex to watch the bear.

Original story [11:02 a.m.]

A small black bear has climbed a tree behind the South Nyack DPW building on Brookside Avenue on the Nyack/South Nyack border.

The bear was first sighted at around 10 a.m. this morning, and has been sitting in the branches—about 20 feet off the ground—since. The tree overlooks several homes.

"He was tired when he first climbed up there at [10 a.m.]," explained Robert Van Cura, South Nyack-Grand View's police chief. "But he's fully rested now."

Authorities have contacted the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), who are making their way to the scene. Van Cura said the bear will likely be tranquilized and returned to the wilderness.

Authorities do not yet know if it is the same bear . That bear was allowed to leave of its own volition.

Patricia Coleman, the animal control officer with Clarkstown Police, said black bears are generally scared of humans but can become aggressive if cornered. Van Cura added that the bear is at the age where it separates from its mother, and is likely checking the area for food.