RFK Jr Central Park Bear Cub: Files Reveal Grim Reality of 2014 Prank

It wasn't a mystery; it was a bizarre staging by a man who would later become a top health official. Newly released government documents obtained by WIRED provide a grim look at the 2014 incident where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dumped a dead bear cub in Central Park. The records, including previously unpublished photos, highlight the graphic nature of the cub's death and the confusion it caused city officials.

New Evidence on the RFK Jr Central Park Bear Cub Incident

On October 6, 2014, New York City was baffled by the discovery of a young black bear under a bush near West 69th Street. Emails from the Parks Department reveal that the NYPD initially treated the area as a crime scene. A necropsy later confirmed the female cub, only 7 to 8 months old, died from massive blunt force trauma, likely from a car strike on a highway near the NY/NJ border.

The details are far from the lighthearted 'prank' Kennedy later described. The report states the cub suffered spinal fractures, broken legs, and a skull fracture so severe that most of its brain was lost through its mouth. This recontextualizes the infamous photo of Kennedy sticking his hand in the deceased bear’s mouth, an act that occurred before he dumped the body and a bicycle to stage a 'hit-and-run.'

A Confession Ten Years in the Making

Kennedy finally admitted to the act in August 2024, claiming he found the roadkill while falconing and intended to harvest its meat. When he ran out of time before a flight, he decided to leave it in the park. While the NYDEC closed the investigation in 2014 due to lack of evidence, the case remains a testament to the bizarre choices of a now-prominent political figure.