Sadly, this New Jersey man met an untimely fate while he was hiking through the Apshawa Preserve. Perhaps the most chilling part of this story is that he captured his killer on camera with his phone shortly before his demise.
Nature is a beautiful thing, but it can also be incredibly dangerous. This was tragically apparent when 22-year-old Darsh Patel, a student at Rutgers University, was killed by a 300-pound black bear while out on a hike with four friends through the West Milford Apshawa Preserve in New Jersey. Although this was the first confirmed fatal attack due to a black bear in New Jersey, there have been 60 such attacks across North America over the past century according to experts.
The five friends had met a couple at the entrance of the preserve who warned them that an aggressive bear had been following them, but unfortunately they didn’t heed their warning. Eventually they spotted the animal and Darsh took out his cell phone to snap some pictures before they began walking away as quickly as possible.
However, despite their efforts, the bear closed in on them until it got within just 15 feet and then panic set in and everyone ran away in different directions – with Patel screaming for his friends to keep going while he climbed up on top of a rock. Four hours later emergency responders found him dead and still surrounded by the bear which they eventually shot and killed after striking it first in its shoulder followed by its jaw.
After conducting lab results from East Stroudsburg University lab in Pennsylvania, authorities discovered that 61 percent of what was found in the bear’s esophagus were human remains including hair, flesh and clothing alongside human blood and tissue under its claws. Moreover, only 1 percent stomach contents were said to be animal flesh indicating that there wasn’t any malnourishment or disease present within it either – deepening this mysterious attack even further.
This story serves as an important reminder that although nature is beautiful we must always proceed with caution when embarking upon outdoor adventures.
