RFK Jr says he was behind New York Central Park bear dumping mystery

Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr said in a video posted online on Sunday that he dumped a dead bear in New York City's Central Park a decade ago and staged it to look like a bike had hit it.

Kennedy suggested in the video, which was posted on social media platform X that he is trying to get ahead of a not-yet-published story from the New Yorker.

"Looking forward to seeing how you spin this one, @NewYorker…" Kennedy posted on his X account with a video of himself at a kitchen table talking to comedian Roseanne Barr.

Kennedy said in the video that he was driving to the Hudson Valley in New York State when a woman in a van in front of him hit a young bear and killed it. He put the bear's body into the back of his car because he was going to skin the bear and store its meat at his house, he said.

But after a late dinner at the Peter Luger Steak House in New York City, he had to go straight to the airport and did not want to leave the bear in his vehicle.

"I had an old bike in my car that somebody asked me to get rid of. I said, 'Let's go put the bear in Central Park, and we'll make it look like he got hit by a bike,'" he said and then laughed, saying it would be "amusing" for whoever found it.

The Kennedy campaign did not immediately comment further on the incident.

In October 2014, the body of a black bear cub was found in the bushes of Central Park, and police launched a criminal investigation into the death.

Foul play was suspected in the case, Reuters reported at the time, and state wildlife officials later concluded it was likely struck and killed by a vehicle.

Kennedy said in the video that the New Yorker had asked him about the incident and was planning on doing a "big article" about him.

The New Yorker did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

In a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, 8% of voters favoured Kennedy. However, he has yet to qualify for the ballot in many states ahead of the 5 November election. 

(Reuters)