Hiker takes pics of bear before being killed by bear

WEST MILFORD, N.J. -- Authorities have released 6 photos of the bear that killed a man in New Jersey back in September.

The hiker who was killed took 5 of the photos. A hiker who was with him took the 6th photo, West Milford police said.

The 300-pound black bear approached the hikers in Apshawa Preserve in West Milford on September 21.

The photos were taken from a distance of around 100 feet away from the bear, according to a story in NJ.com.

The hikers tried to get away by scattering, but the bear followed and eventually mauled 22-year-old Darsh Patel to death.

Police later recovered the phone belonging to the Rutgers University student.

Patel was the first confirmed death by bear in New Jersey, where a hunt is planned next month. New Jersey has been holding bear hunts annually since 2010 to counter the increase in bear population now estimated at around 2,500.