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OREM — If you were driving in Orem Wednesday morning, it’s paw-sible that you ran into some issues.
A bear was sighted in the area and crews were working to remove it, according to KSL Newsradio’s Heather Kelly. The situation caused a closure of the right lane on northbound State Street at the Center Street intersection, according to the Utah Department of Transportation.
The bear was wandering the streets of Orem and eventually climbed a tree in front of the police station, the Orem Police Department said in a Facebook post.
The right lane in State Street in Orem is blocked due to...... a BEAR. The animal is up a tree near at Center Street and crews are working to remove it. pic.twitter.com/poH4Yr8Sgp
— Heather Kelly (@KSLHeatherKelly) September 18, 2019
UDOT reported delays of less than five minutes in the area, and the scene was cleared about 8:10 a.m.
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources officials, along with Orem police officers, responded to the scene about 6 a.m. and used police car sirens to chase the animal into a tree, according to DWR Public Information Officer Faith Heaton Jolley.
ICYMI: There was a lot of excitement this morning in Orem due to a bear causing traffic issues along State Street. Orem police responded along with DWR personnel and were able to get it up a tree using noise from their police car sirens around 6 a.m. (1)
— Faith Heaton Jolley (@FaithHJolley) September 18, 2019
DWR personnel then tranquilized the chocolate-colored black bear, a 2-year-old male, and it will be relocated to the Wasatch Mountains, Heaton Jolley said. DWR biologists believe the bear may have come from the mountains east of Orem, she said.
Everyone who was involved in the situation is safe, she added.
UDOT traffic cameras showed a fire department ladder truck in the area shortly before 8 a.m. The truck left the scene a few minutes later, traffic cameras showed.
Contributing: Cody Neilson, KSL
Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated the wrong day the incident occurred. This story has been corrected.
