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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he left a dead bear in Central Park as a prank

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he left a dead bear in Central Park as a prank
News

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he left a dead bear in Central Park as a prank

2024-08-06 06:27 Last Updated At:06:30

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once retrieved a bear that was killed by a motorist and left it in New York's Central Park with a bicycle on top, sparking a mystery that consumed the city a decade ago.

Kennedy described the 2014 incident in a video that was posted to social media Sunday, adding it would be included in a New Yorker article that he expected to be damaging.

The article was published Monday and included a photo of Kennedy with his fingers in the bear's bloodied mouth, a mock grimace on his face. His left pant leg appears to have a bloodstain on it.

It's the latest bizarre incident in Kennedy's quixotic campaign that has divided his famous family and left Republicans and Democrats alike concerned about his potential impact on the presidential contest. Kennedy has acknowledged a parasite that lodged in his brain and died. He denied eating a dog after a friend shared a photo with Vanity Fair magazine showing Kennedy dramatically preparing to take a bite of a charred animal; Kennedy said it was a goat.

In the video, Kennedy recounts the story to actress Roseanne Barr. He says he was heading to a falconry excursion with friends when a woman driving ahead of him hit and killed the young bear with her vehicle. He says he put it in his own vehicle, intending to skin it and eat the meat, but the day got away from him.

Eventually, he says, he was in Manhattan and needed to get the bear carcass out of his vehicle. His friends, fueled by alcohol, concocted the Central Park plan as a prank, he said, adding he was not drunk himself. At the time, bicycle accidents were getting significant media attention, so Kennedy and his friends thought it would be funny to make it look like the bear was hit by a bicycle.

Two women walking their dogs found the dead bear and alerted authorities, touching off a mystery that captivated the city for a few days. Bears are not among the park's known wildlife population.

The bike was dusted for prints and the animal sent to Albany for a necropsy, which determined the bear was likely hit by a vehicle and was not a victim of animal cruelty. But how the bear ended up in Central Park remained a mystery.

“I was worried because my prints were all over that bike,” Kennedy tells Barr in the video.

Kennedy declined to speak to reporters Monday in Albany, New York, where he was attending a civil trial related to his efforts to get on the ballot in that state. A group trying to exclude him from New York's ballot filed a lawsuit claiming Kennedy lied on nomination papers about where he lives.

New York's Department of Environmental Conservation, which enforces laws regarding wildlife, said in a statement Monday that it closed its investigation after a forensic analysis concluded that the cub died from injuries consistent with a high-speed collision.

Possessing a bear without a tag or permit, or illegally disposing of a dead bear, are offenses punishable by fines of up to $250 in New York, but the department said charges cannot be brought for violations that occurred more than a year ago.

New York Police and New York State Environmental Conservation officers investigate the site where a bear cub was found dead under bushes in Central Park, Monday, Oct. 6, 2014, in New York. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once retrieved a bear that was killed by a motorist and left it in New York's Central Park with a bicycle on top, sparking a mystery that consumed the city a decade ago. Kennedy described the incident in a video on social media Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, adding it will be included in a forthcoming New Yorker article that he expects to be damaging. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

New York Police and New York State Environmental Conservation officers investigate the site where a bear cub was found dead under bushes in Central Park, Monday, Oct. 6, 2014, in New York. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once retrieved a bear that was killed by a motorist and left it in New York's Central Park with a bicycle on top, sparking a mystery that consumed the city a decade ago. Kennedy described the incident in a video on social media Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, adding it will be included in a forthcoming New Yorker article that he expects to be damaging. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

New York Police and New York State Environmental Conservation officers handle the body of bear cub that found dead under bushes in Central Park, Monday, Oct. 6, 2014, in New York. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once retrieved a bear that was killed by a motorist and left it in New York's Central Park with a bicycle on top, sparking a mystery that consumed the city a decade ago. Kennedy described the incident in a video posted to social media Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, adding it will be included in a forthcoming New Yorker article that he expects to be damaging. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

New York Police and New York State Environmental Conservation officers handle the body of bear cub that found dead under bushes in Central Park, Monday, Oct. 6, 2014, in New York. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once retrieved a bear that was killed by a motorist and left it in New York's Central Park with a bicycle on top, sparking a mystery that consumed the city a decade ago. Kennedy described the incident in a video posted to social media Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, adding it will be included in a forthcoming New Yorker article that he expects to be damaging. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

FILE - Florence Slatkin, with her dog Paco, points to the spot where she and a friend discovered a dead bear cub in New York's Central Park, on Oct. 7, 2014. On social media Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took responsibility for leaving the cub in New York's Central Park a decade ago. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - Florence Slatkin, with her dog Paco, points to the spot where she and a friend discovered a dead bear cub in New York's Central Park, on Oct. 7, 2014. On social media Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took responsibility for leaving the cub in New York's Central Park a decade ago. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a campaign event, in West Hollywood, Calif., June 27, 2024. On social media Sunday, Aug. 4, Kennedy described how he once retrieved a bear killed by a motorist and left it in New York's Central Park with a bicycle on top. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

FILE - Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a campaign event, in West Hollywood, Calif., June 27, 2024. On social media Sunday, Aug. 4, Kennedy described how he once retrieved a bear killed by a motorist and left it in New York's Central Park with a bicycle on top. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Next Article

Trump's upcoming White House meeting with Netanyahu is expected to focus on Gaza and tariffs

2025-04-05 23:57 Last Updated At:04-06 00:01

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday in what would be their second White House sit-down since Trump's return to office.

The visit, confirmed by a White House official Saturday, comes as Israel is setting up a new security corridor across Gaza to pressure Hamas and Netanyahu's defense minister has said Israel would seize large areas of the territory and add them to its so-called security zones. Israeli strikes killed more than a dozen people in Gaza on Friday, a day after attacks killed at least 100 Palestinians.

Hundreds more have died in the past two weeks as Israel has stepped up operations intended to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages it took during its attack on Israel in October 2023.

Israel has pledged to escalate the war with Hamas until the militant group returns the hostages, disarms and leaves the territory. Israel ended a ceasefire in March and has imposed a halt on all imports of food, fuel and humanitarian aid.

The leaders are expected to focus on the latest Israeli bombardment of Gaza and new U.S. tariffs announced by Trump against Israel and other countries.

Trump's first invitation of his second term to a foreign leader went to Netanyahu, and their Feb. 4 meeting was meant to focus on Israel’s war with Hamas and the next steps as a ceasefire deal took hold.

At a joint news conference, Trump made the surprise proposal that displaced Palestinians in Gaza be permanently resettled outside the territory and he suggested that the United States take “ownership” in redeveloping the area into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” Palestinians objected to leaving their homeland, and Arab nations and rights groups sharply criticized the idea.

Last month, Israel shattered the ceasefire with a surprise bombardment in Gaza after trying to pressure Hamas to accept proposed new terms for the ceasefire. The White House supported the move. Israel also again cut off all supplies to the territory.

That February meeting gave Netanyahu a chance to remind the world of the Trump administration’s support for Israel, defend the conduct of the war and distract from political pressures back home.

Those pressures have only grown as Israelis protest both the lack of a deal to bring remaining hostages home from Gaza and Netanyahu’s moves to fire the head of the country’s domestic security agency and its attorney general. He also faces calls to accept responsibility for his role in failing to prevent the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that sparked the war.

In a statement, relatives of hostages held in Gaza pleaded with Trump to “please use all your power to pressure Netanyahu to end this war and bring our hostages back now.”

Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity in Gaza. The U.S. is not a member of the court.

Trump, meanwhile, says the first foreign trip of his second administration will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and possibly the United Arab Emirates and “other places.” The trip could come as soon as May. Trump has said he wants to reward Saudi Arabia for its investment in the U.S. and that all three Gulf countries would be making commitments to creating jobs in the U.S. during his trip.

Associated Press writers Natalie Melzer in Jerusalem and Cara Anna contributed to this report.

FILE - President Donald Trump listens as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump listens as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

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