Now we know. He might be alive if he hadn't stopped to take pictures:
WEST MILFORD, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey hiker killed by a bear in September took a series of photos of the animal with his cellphone before it mauled him to death.
Police in West Milford have released five photos taken by 22-year-old Darsh Patel before he was killed by the 300-pound black bear while hiking with four friends in the Apshawa Preserve, 45 miles northwest of New York.
The photos show the bear behind a fallen tree in the woods. Investigators say the phone was found with puncture marks from the bear.
