A 22-year-old Indian-origin student who was killed in a New Jersey wildlife preserve last month was mauled to death by a bear, an autopsy report said today.
Darsh Patel is confirmed as the first person in New Jersey's history to be killed by a bear, officials said.
Patel was killed by the 300-pound bear's claws and teeth on September 22, Chief Timothy Storbeck of the West Milford police said.
Patel's cause of death is listed as "mauling" - and the cause of the fatal injury is "mauled by bear," authorities were quoted as saying by the nj.Com website.
Patel sustained numerous bites and claw marks, the report said.
The bear was predatory and stalking hikers before the attack - and the animal that was euthanized where Patel's body was found has been confirmed to be the same bear who killed the Rutgers student, officials said.
However, the full autopsy results, which include toxicology tests, are likely to take several months, they added.
Neither of the hiking groups in the woods that evening intimidated or provoked the bear, according to the investigation.
Patel was part of a group of five friends from Edison who were hiking through the Apshawa Preserve, a wooded area of West Milford.
They ran in different directions when a black bear began to follow them. The group noticed Patel was missing once they got to safety and immediately called police.
The West Milford Search and Rescue unit had found Patel's body two hours later after the incident.
Evidence at the scene indicated that the victim had been attacked by a bear.
