A Jersey Mother Walks Between Her 2-year-old and a Mountain Lion

Picture yourself looking behind you and seeing a Mountain Lion getting ready to attack your daughter, who is 2 1/2 years old. That’s exactly what happened to a mom from Stillwater, New Jersey. Fortunately, Mom also shouted and the mountain lion turned and ran away into the woods.

Are there Mountain Lions in New Jersey?

According to the State of New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, there are no mountain lions in New Jersey. Many people have been speaking up in recent years, which has caused some doubt about that statement.

I have been writing about reports from people in New Jersey who say they have seen, heard, or come across mountain lions. There are reports of cougars and panthers in New Jersey, and more claims are being made.

One of my coworkers calls me the “Mountain Lion Whisperer.” You can find many of these stories here. I have received reports from various locations in New Jersey, including both the northern and southern parts, in recent years. Most of the claims come from the northern part of the region, particularly Sussex County.

Stillwater Residents Claims to Have Seen Mountain Lions

Gigi C. recently contacted me to share her experiences with mountain lions in Stillwater, New Jersey. Gigi says she lives very near Stillwater Lake and Swartswood State Park. In 2020, she saw her first mountain lion at her home.

“We heard her screaming in the woods very early in the morning for many nights before.” I heard someone, possibly a woman or a young child, crying out in a desperate manner. It is quite disturbing, to say the least. “We heard her hunting ducks in the lake, and she even left a deer head between my house and Stillwater Lake.”

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At 2 am on the night in question, Gigi noticed that the motion-detector flood light on her back deck turned on. “She was standing very close to us, just a few feet away. The only thing between us was the glass door.”

“My 2.5-year-old exclaimed with excitement, ‘That’s a lion!'” Laugh out loud. Gigi says it was the first and only time (up until now) that she heard her child use bad language.

Mountain Lion Approaches Child

Gigi says she had another encounter that was much scarier. According to her, she was securing her child’s car seat in the car, preparing to go. She said that she briefly looked away from her daughter, and suddenly had a strong feeling that something bad was going to happen, like a mother’s intuition. What happened next will make you feel scared or excited.

“I looked over and saw my daughter crawling up some steps on our neighbor’s property. The steps go from the driveway to a steep hill.” The mountain lion was 30 yards away from my crawling child. She was looking at my child with intense focus, crouching down and ready to attack!

“I shouted “NO!” very loudly, and the lion looked at me and quickly ran towards the forest.” I will always remember the vivid image I had of her. As she ran away, her strong legs and long dress were flowing behind her. Fortunately, everyone was fine.