Current:Home > FinanceRobert F. Kennedy Jr. says he left a dead bear in Central Park as a prank-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he left a dead bear in Central Park as a prank
View Date:2025-01-11 02:09:23
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 describes the incident in a video that was posted to social media Sunday, adding it will be included in a forthcoming New Yorker article that he expects to be damaging.
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.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Rita Ora pays tribute to Liam Payne at MTV Europe Music Awards: 'He brought so much joy'
- Andy Reid deserves the blame for Chiefs' alarming loss to Lions in opener
- Japan’s foreign minister to visit war-torn Ukraine with business leaders to discuss reconstruction
- GMA's Robin Roberts Marries Amber Laign
- Mandy Moore Captures the Holiday Vibe With These No Brainer Gifts & Stocking Stuffer Must-Haves
- Vegas hotel operations manager accused of stealing $773K through bogus refund accounts
- Red Velvet Oreos returning to shelves for a limited time. Here's when to get them.
- As the Colorado River Declines, Some Upstream Look to Use it Before They Lose it
- Texas mother sentenced to 50 years for leaving kids in dire conditions as son’s body decomposed
- Making of Colts QB Anthony Richardson: Chasing Tebow, idolizing Tom Brady, fighting fires
Ranking
- Beyoncé's Grammy nominations in country categories aren't the first to blur genre lines
- 'Brought to tears': Coco Gauff describes the moments after her US Open win
- Pelosi announces she'll run for another term in Congress as Democrats seek to retake House
- Alito rejects Democrats' demands to step aside from upcoming Supreme Court case
- What are the best financial advising companies? Help USA TODAY rank the top U.S. firms
- Rita Wilson talks ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,’ surprise ‘phenomenon’ of the original film
- Hundreds of Pride activists march in Serbia despite hate messages sent by far-right officials
- Travis Barker Returns to Blink-182 Tour After Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian's Emergency Surgery
Recommendation
-
Ex-Marine misused a combat technique in fatal chokehold of NYC subway rider, trainer testifies
-
Jennifer Lopez, Sofia Richie and More Stars Turn Heads at Ralph Lauren's NYFW 2024 Show
-
Benedict Arnold burned a Connecticut city. Centuries later, residents get payback in fiery festival
-
Israeli army kills 16-year-old Palestinian in West Bank, claiming youths threw explosives
-
Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Lemon quit X, formerly Twitter: 'Time for me to leave'
-
Residents and authorities in Somalia say airstrike caused several casualties including children
-
The world is still falling short on limiting climate change, according to U.N. report
-
Emotions will run high for Virginia as the Cavaliers honor slain teammate ahead of 1st home game