Residents Stuck Inside For Hours As Bears Occupy New Jersey Neighborhood

RANDOLPH, NJ(CBSNewYork) -- It was a wild day in Randolph where a family of bears kept residents locked inside of their homes and authorities on their toes.

"We looked in the tree over there and we saw one bear getting hosed down by the firemen and on the little branch over there, there were two baby bears," Erin McDonald, 12, told CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez.

This wasn't a fairytale, it was the real deal and police told residents to stay in their homes while they addressed the issue.

"They were on the loud speakers saying get back in your house, don't leave. And of course we listened to them, that's a really good reason not to leave your apartment," one resident said.

The bears spent several hours in the neighborhood as they were chased from tree to tree.

"We waited for fish and game to come and tranquillize the bears and assisted them holding the net as well as the police department, and got a ladder truck to go above to shoot downward for the tranquilizers," firefighters told CBS 2.

The bears were safely tranquilized and taken back to their natural habitat.

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