A friend of mine spotted a mountain lion in a park in Jefferson, northwest NJ. He is a former big game guide in Africa -- if he saw a mountain lion, I believe him -- many other people would confuse a big yellow lab with a mountain lion.
I believe him. He ought to know. The other sighting I know of was in Mahwah, New Jersey by two cops and there have been reports in the northern parts of Morris COunty New Jersey of sightings.
As the open farm lands are returned to second growth forests, and state and County parklands increase, and the number of deer continue to rise astronomically, the animals which prey on deer and find forested habitats attractive will return if they have not already been driven to extinction.
Cougars are secretive animals, and the remnants of eastern Cougar populations have long been suspected to exist in areas of Canada immediately north of, and adjecent to, the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes, and possibly the Adirondacks of New York State.
It would be interesting to do a genetic study on one of these creatures to see if they are really returning eastern cougars, or a population of recently established western Cougars.
In eithre case, a new an unfamiliar caution must be exercized by wanderers in our eastern forests - wanderers who, unlike the first settlers and Native Americans, are all too often barred from the carrying of weapons or unfamiliar with their use in critical situations.