NEWTON (WBZ-AM) -- Police warned residents Wednesday morning after a black bear was spotted in a Newton neighborhood.
The bear was spotted in a tree on Centre Street near Newton Center overnight, along some Green Line tracks and not far from Crystal Lake.
Police asked people to avoid the area, but there were no other sightings.
Newton Police Lt. Bruce Apotheker told WBZ-TV Tuesday night there was hope the bear would leave on its own.
"We're being told by the Environmental Police it's probably best just to leave it alone and hopefully some time during tonight it'll come down and make its way back home," he said.
Eventually, the bear left the tree.
Alan Palmer walks the area in the morning, but says he's never seen any bears.
"That's um, interesting, unusual," said Palmer, who added he usually sees "geese, ducks, obviously other runners, walkers, people walking their dogs, that kind of thing."
There have been some previous encounters with black bears in Newton--including back in 2013 when a bear had to be shot and killed after climbing a tree near the Mass Pike.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker reports