Black bear spotted running along Frankstown Road in Penn Hills

The Pennsylvania Game Commission received several reports Tuesday of a black bear running along Frankstown Road near the McDonald’s in Penn Hills.

The bear, believed to be about a year-and-a-half old, is on the move and was likely pushed out by his mother as she gets ready to breed, according to Dan Puhala, game warden with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

“Give the bear space, it’s going to move on,” Puhala said.

After viewing a video that circulated on Facebook earlier Tuesday of the bear running along Frankstown Road, he said, “the bear looks scared trying to get away from everybody.”

The young bear likely came to the area via the Allegheny River corridor, which is just over the hill from Frankstown Road, according to Puhala.

There was a report Monday of a black bear in Plum, but Puhala didn’t know if it was the same bear.

When a black bear is on the move, there’s not much that the commission can do.

Residents should call 911 if the bear is causing damage or is up a tree or in a structure, Puhala said.

Word got back to Penn Hills School Board President Erin Vecchio, who urged residents not to panic.

“There has been a report of a bear in Penn Hills,” Vecchio wrote on her Facebook page. “Last seen near the Penn Hills Bar and Grill. Please be on the lookout and do not approach or try to interfere or harm the bear in any way. CALL POLICE IF SIGHTED.”

To learn more about black bears, visit the Game Commission’s website.