Man says bear mugged him for his Italian sandwich

VERNON, N.J. – A northwestern New Jersey man said he was mugged in his driveway by a sandwich-craving bear. Henry Rouwendal said he was packing his car last Friday when he was hit from behind and knocked to the ground. He said the culprit was a black bear who took his Italian sandwich.

Rouwendal said he kicked the bear in the snout and throat.

He said the bruin made off with the bread, salami and other meats but left behind the lettuce, onions and tomatoes.

Vernon Township police said it's the first time a bear has attacked a person in the rural community in more than 25 years.

The state Environmental Protection Department so far has classified it as an "incident" and not an attack.