Officials: Black bear spotted near Antioch

A black bear has been sighted near Antioch this evening, officials said.

Lake County deputies are on the scene, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is on the way to the 24100 block of W. Deer Ridge Lane to attempt to tranquilize and relocate the bear, according to a news release from the Lake County sheriff's office.

If you see the bear, do not approach it; call police or the sheriff's office so they can send DNR to the nearest location, the release says.

A possible sighting was reported earlier this week at Route 132 and Hunt Club Road near Gurnee Mills; police officers checked the area but didn't find a bear, officials said.

There currently isn't a resident population of black bears in Illinois, but there have been five bear sightings here since 2008 - mostly in the northwest corner of the state, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The most recent, confirmed by a state biologist, was in Jo Daviess County in June 2020.

• Daily Herald staff writer Christopher Placek contributed to this report