Driver Near Newton NJ Says He Saw Mountain Lion

"When it appeared, we both yelled at the same time, 'Mountain lion!' We were in complete shock."

Those are the words of the latest witness to reach out to me, after reportedly seeing a mountain lion, or cougar, in New Jersey.

For a few years now, I've received dozens of reports from all across the state from people who claim to have seen a mountain lion.

(Mountain lion, cougar, and panther are pretty interchangeable words that all mean the same kind of animal.)

Mountain lions in New Jersey?

Officials with the New Jersey Department of Wildlife will say that "there are no mountain lions in New Jersey." Yet, witnesses from all across the state continue to reach out to me, saying they've seen something that they think is a mountain lion.

While I understand mountain lions are not native to the state, could some mountain lions have criss-crossed parts of the country and made in it to New Jersey? Could a mountain lion or two have escaped from someone's private collection, or even a zoo?

You can check out some of the mountain lion reports I've written about here.

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Mountain Lion spotted near Newton, New Jersey

The latest report I received comes from a New Jersey resident, DD. DD claims to have been driving on Stanhope Road near Newton on Saturday, May 10, 2025, when a mountain lion ran in front of his car. He says both he and his wife saw the animal, which both immediately identified as a mountain lion.

DD says they were in complete shock, as was the woman in the car behind them. He says the size of the animal was large, and he was worried for any local runners or others who may be outside in the area. He immediately phoned the police. He says Newton Police took his information, but hadn't heard of similar reports. He was transferred to the State Police, where a Sergeant told him that there were no confirmed sightings, only rumors.

READ MORE: Mountain Lion Spotted Near New Jersey State Park

DD says this encounter happened about 3 pm, and it was a full-sized cougar. "I'm a wildlife enthusiast and can tell you we are  100% certain, we saw a mountain lion cross the road several feet in front of our car!"

"It was not small or sick looking at all, it looked very large and healthy. I'm not afraid of bears or any wildlife in New Jersey…but I would no way have gotten out of the car.  I wanted to get a video or picture because I knew this was extremely unusual."

Have you seen a mountain lion or cougar in New Jersey? I'd like to hear your story. My email is joe.kelly@townsquaremedia.com.