NJ Scout Leader Injured in Bear Attack

A Boy Scout leader was recovering Sunday after a bear attacked him on a hike at Split Rock Reservoir in New Jersey. Christopher Petronino, 50, was with three young scouts when a black bear attacked him and pulled him into a cave. He used a rock hammer to fend off the animal, according to a statement from Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Bob Considine. Petronino hit the bear twice in the head before yelling to the scouts to go get help, Considine said. The scouts used a cellphone to call police. While waiting, a dog that had accompanied the group began barking and scared the bear away. Petronino was taken by helicopter to Morristown Medical Center for treatment.