TAYLORSTOWN, Pa. — A man driving a van chased a bear through a farm field, scaring him into a tree and fleeing before state Game Commission officials rescued the petrified animal, officials said.

The 180-pound, 18-month-old black bear was tranquilized with a shot to the rump late Monday when wildlife officers were called to the scene by the Washington County family that owns the farm.

"We were sitting at home and ... my mom called and said, 'You won't believe it. There's a bear up a tree,"' said Greg Lesnock, whose family owns the farm.

The young bear, which apparently got lost while hunting for food, was tagged and tattooed before being released along the borders of Somerset and Fayette counties.

The bear is likely the same one who has recently rummaged through Washington County garbage cans, scaring some residents and angering others, wildlife conservation official Rich Joyce said. The driver of the van has not been identified, authorities said.