A black bear was running through the streets in and around uptown Harrisburg this morning.

ABC27 News photographer Dave Tristan was on his way to work when the bear ran in front of his car. 

Dave gave chase with his cell phone, but the bear ran off and made its escape over a fence.

It was last spotted in the area of North Third and Vaughn streets, on the Susquehanna Township line.

John Hayden saw it, too.

“I’m facing the window, reading, and a large dark object that I’m not used to seeing sort of flashed before my line of view,” Hayden said. “I said hey, there’s a bear outside.”

Wildlife officials say bears on occasion will travel miles away from their homes to find food, which is when they stumble into residential areas.

“It might not be food that you and I would consider food but things like garbage, gas grills, food left out for pets, any of these things could attract bears,” Pennsylvania Game Commission spokesman Travis Lau said.

Lau said Pennsylvania’s black bears rarely show aggression toward people, but there are exceptions. It’s important to take precautions to keep yourself safe.

“Freeze in place, but at the same time if that bear is roaming, say, in a neighboring yard, a whistle, something to get that bear’s attention, something very nonaggressive, and a passive motion or signal from you, just so that bear knows that you’re there.”