Can RFK Jr. be charged for dumping dead bear in Central Park? Here's what NYSDEC says
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s admission on Sunday that he dumped a dead bear cub in Central Park years ago was another bizarre twist in a presidential campaign that already included his disclosing he had brain worms.
But had he confessed to a crime for which he could now be charged?
The answer, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, is that Kennedy probably could have been ticketed and fined up to $250 for two low-level offenses: possession of a bear without a tag, and illegal disposal of a bear. But that is only if he had revealed his secret much sooner.
Bear tale: Why did Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dump a dead bear in Central Park? What we know now
"The statute of limitations for these offenses is one year; charges cannot be brought for incidents that occurred more than one year ago," the department said in an emailed statement on Monday.
In other words, no tickets for Kennedy. The bear dumping happened too long ago.
The surprising discovery of a bear carcass with a bicycle beside it in such an unlikely spot — the middle of New York City — sparked a wave of news coverage and a mystery that lasted for 10 years. In its statement, the DEC said its investigation had concluded the cub had "died from blunt-force trauma consistent with a high-speed collision." It later closed its probe "due to a lack of sufficient evidence to determine if violations occurred."
Kennedy, who lived in Westchester County at the time of the bear incident, ended the mystery with a three-minute video he posted on X. He explained to a bemused Roseanne Barr that he had been driving to a falconry outing in Orange County when a van in front of him struck and killed the bear. He said he picked it up with the intention of bringing it home to eat; but he wound up dumping it with the bike as a prank after going out to dinner that night.
Residency fight: Does RFK Jr. truly live in Westchester? Ruling will decide if he runs for president in NY
Kennedy is waging a longshot bid for president as an independent candidate. A court fight is being waged in Albany this week over his ability to run in New York. A group that's trying to keep him off the ballot argues his petition is invalid because it claims he still lives in Westchester, despite moving to California 10 years ago. Kennedy listed a friend's house in Katonah as his home address on his ballot petitions in New York and other states.
Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Could RFK Jr. be charged for dumping dead bear in Central Park?
