Family of New Jersey bear cubs slaughtered, residents outraged

A New Jersey man is facing illegal hunting charges for allegedly slaughtering a beloved family of bear cubs, leaving local fans of the furry crew “upset and heartbroken,” reports said Wednesday. 

A mama bear and her four cubs had become a popular sight near Ringwood State Park in Passaic County and were so comfortable around humans, young children were able to get close to the animals without any issue, ABC 7 reported. 

The family was frequently photographed by local residents and no complaints had been made against them. 

But on Monday, the four baby bears were found dead from gunshot wounds inside the park by a hiker, who reported the grisly discovery to New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Conservation officers. 

The hiker found three of the cubs near Valley Road, close to the border of the park, and when officers arrived, they found the fourth cub close by. 

The whereabouts of their apparent mother were not immediately known. 

“We were upset and heartbroken,” Amber Vonzweh, who lives near the park, told the outlet. 

“Pretty much everyone in town was upset.”

Matthew Lingus, 22, was hit with a slew of charges in connection with the killings, including hunting with a firearm, hunting a bear during a closed season and hunting with an illegal weapon and ammunition, the outlet reported. 

“Do I think the kid should be in trouble? Hell yeah they were cubs,” resident Kim Visser told the station. 

“I hear he baited them and then shot them.”

It’s not clear how exactly Lingus allegedly hunted down the cubs. 

The news comes one day after the Garden State revived its black bear hunt, which has been widely criticized by animal advocates. 

Jeff Tittel, who has long advocated for humane black-bear management that doesn’t entail culling, said the cubs’ deaths are a side effect of the state’s program.

“When you tell people we have to exterminate bears, people do these horrible things,” Tittel said.