BURLINGTON, Mass. — With the holiday rush in full swing, malls around the state are bustling. One mall in particular, also has a bear close by. Yes -- a bear.
Over the past week, there have been several sightings of a bear near businesses right by the Burlington Mall along the Middlesex turnpike. The same bear that has been very busy showing up on people's cellphones.
One video was captured by Burlington Police, and another by a restaurant manager.
Albert Henry, manager at Buffalo Wild Wings, recorded the bear sighting outside of his restaurant while his co-worker called in the sighting.
"I'm just calling to let you guys know that at Buffalo Wild Wings in Burlington, there was a gigantic bear outside," she told the police. "It was easily like an 800 pound bear. My manager has it on video."
Henry said the bear looked bigger than usual, almost as if it was bulking up for the winter.
The Burlington bear was also spotted behind Barnes and Noble, where it hung out before retreating into the brush. Wegman's also had a sighting.
When Henry and his co-worker called the police, they told them that it ran up the restaurant driveway towards the mall -- which without question, is a legitimate cause for concern.
With Christmas around the corner, a lot of people are in and out of the Burlington mall area.
"We don't want to create a situation that would force the bear into a position where people would have to interact with it, or we would have to negatively interact with it," said Sgt. Kevin Doherty of the Burlington PD. "The reality of it is, it's a wild animal -- and it's a bear. It's not a cub, it's got some good size to it."
The bear was last seen Monday night behind the Barnes and Noble. Animal Control officials believe the bear is getting ready to hibernate so it's just stocking up on food.
Burlington Police are urging people to keep an eye out as they're out and about in the area. And if you happen to see it, do not go near it or feed it.