A wild bear sleeping up in a tree has attracted a whole lot of attention in New Jersey.
The bear arrived New Year's Day and has been treated like an honored guest in Summit, where he slept the day away as residents, kids, news crews and police gathered below.
"And what a great way to begin 2016!" resident Janet Burian said.
The bear became an instant tourist attraction as cell phone cameras flew into action and heads tilted upwards.
"We've seen bears here in the neighborhood before, but we've never seen them up in a tree, so it's kind of interesting," Lack Menke said.
State and Summit police were letting sleeping bears lie.
And though bears are only dangerous when threatened, one young viewer wasn't sure if sticking around was such a good idea.
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"It might not be the best idea to stay here for too long, because if he comes down it's going to be bad," Andrew van Doskirk said.
His younger brother had his own idea for helping the bear down.
"We could put the trampoline down there so when he lands down there he could have a safe landing," Brett van Doskirk said.
By Saturday morning, the bear was no longer in the tree.
Bears are in all 21 counties of New Jersey, according to the state DEP.
