Mike Bramich (in camo hat), Dole Heffley, 122nd Legislative district, and Andrew Nierner on the right.
By Dean Weingarten | Contributing writer
On Jan. 19, 2025, a black bear became too familiar with people in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, a community located about 20 miles northwest from Allentown.
An armed Samaritan with a .45-caliber pistol, Mike Bramich, stopped the attack.
It is unusual for people to see black bears out and about in January in Pennsylvania. Most of them are denned up, sleeping through the winter, but on this particular morning, visitors to the Jim Thorpe Market encountered a black bear intent on entering the market.
Potential shoppers started screaming. The bear persisted in attempting to enter the store. People sought safety in their vehicles, according to Andrew Neirner. The bear ran back into the woods on the east side of the parking lot, where there is a faint footpath which leads from the Market to the front of Mike Bramish’ personal detached garage at the end of Silk road.
The garage is about 100 yards away as a straight line ruler measures on a map, and about 100 feet of elevation above the Market. The area is heavily forested, with a ridge to the east of the Market being part of the western slopes of Bear Mountain.
Map by US Geological Survey, public domain, bold letters added.