ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A black bear was spotted roaming in Downtown St. Augustine Tuesday morning, the St. Augustine Police Department said in a Facebook post.

The police department said law enforcement was on the scene with the bear in a “secluded” area in south Lincolnville, away from homes Tuesday morning. Law enforcement and FWC Bear Management monitored the bear until it left the area without incident. 

A maintenance worker for the city of St. Augustine told First Coast News he started his shift around 6 a.m., watching the bear running near the courtyard at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine.

“I was always thinking that if I’d ever seen a bear, I would just run away from it,” Anthony Ohni said. “That thing was moving just as fast as an NFL football player at top speed. It was pretty quick I didn’t think they could move that fast.” 

Several people told First Coast News about how they saw officers following the bear and even kept police present downtown when shops opened near the areas the bear visited.

Tony Strong, who has lived in Florida all his life, was on his way to work when he saw the black bear being chased by a dozen officers on King Street, which caught him by surprise. 

“That was like something you see up north; you don’t see that down here,” Strong said. “I’ve seen people run down King Street naked, but I’ve never seen a bear run in the middle of downtown.” 

St. Augustine Police said to use caution if you encounter a bear by not getting close to the animal.

“It’s important to keep a respectful distance [from bears] and never run,” the police department’s Facebook post states. “Black bears prefer to avoid people and will usually move on quickly.”