In a peculiar tale from a decade ago, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. admitted to retrieving a bear killed by a motorist and leaving it in New York’s Central Park with a bicycle on top, sparking a citywide mystery.
Kennedy discussed the 2014 event in a video posted to social media on Sunday, noting it would be detailed in a New Yorker article that he anticipated to be incriminating. The article, published Monday, included a photograph of Kennedy with his fingers inside the bear’s bloodied mouth, adopting a mock grimace. His left pant leg appeared stained with blood.
This incident adds to the series of bizarre episodes marking Kennedy’s unconventional campaign that has divided his famous family and generated concern among both Republicans and Democrats about his potential influence on the presidential race. Kennedy has previously acknowledged having a parasite lodge in his brain, which subsequently died. He denied consuming a dog after a friend shared a photo with Vanity Fair showing him poised to take a bite of a charred animal, clarifying it was a goat.
In the video, Kennedy recounts the story to actress Roseanne Barr, explaining he was en route to a falconry trip with friends when a woman ahead of him struck and fatally injured a young bear with her vehicle. He decided to place the bear in his own vehicle, intending to skin and consume the meat, but lost track of time.
When Kennedy found himself in Manhattan, he needed to rid his vehicle of the bear carcass. His friends, under the influence of alcohol, concocted the plan to leave the bear in Central Park as a prank. Kennedy noted he was sober through the ordeal. At the time, bicycle accidents were making headlines, so Kennedy and his friends thought it would be humorous to stage the scene to appear as if the bear was struck by a bicycle.
Two women walking their dogs discovered the dead bear and promptly notified authorities, setting off a mystery that captivated the city. Central Park, known for its diverse wildlife, does not include bears in its usual inhabitants.
The bike was dusted for fingerprints, and the bear was sent to Albany for a necropsy, which revealed the bear likely died from vehicle-induced injuries, ruling out animal cruelty. However, the bizarre presence of the bear in Central Park remained unexplained.
Kennedy voiced his concern in the video, stating, “I was worried because my prints were all over that bike.” Despite the controversy, he chose not to engage with reporters on Monday in Albany, where he was attending a civil trial regarding his efforts to appear on the ballot in New York. A group seeking to disqualify him from the ballot accused Kennedy of lying about his residence on nomination papers.
New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, which oversees wildlife laws, released a statement Monday saying it closed its investigation following a forensic analysis that confirmed the cub’s injuries were consistent with a high-speed collision. In New York, possessing a bear without proper documentation or illegally disposing of a dead bear can result in fines of up to $250, but the department mentioned that charges cannot be pursued for violations occurring more than a year ago.
