(WSIL) -- A black bear was spotted Thursday traveling through parts of the Tri-States.
The bear was spotted walking across the street in Blandinsville, Illinois.
"Did I really just see this? Like, is that really a bear?" Blandinsville resident Torie Thomas said.
It was a shocking site that Thomas ran into Thursday morning.
"I was just in total shock," Thomas said. "I mean, I couldn't believe there was a black bear walking in front of my car."
Thomas said she pulled out of her driveway, drove down the road, and was greeted by the bear.
"We couldn't believe it," Thomas said.
"We stopped and he slowly started to move towards the highway. So naturally, we stopped and of course, we had to video and take pictures and he crossed the road and continued on south from there."
She was traveling on Route 9, which goes through Blandinsville. She said when she got up to the guard rail, that's when she saw the bear.
"He was a big black bear," Thomas said.
"I'd say probably seven to 800 pounds. He almost like looked both ways before he crossed the road, he knew what he was doing."
Officials with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said although a rare sighting, this isn't the first time a bear has made its way to Illinois.
"There are times where they'll travel into mainly northern Illinois from Wisconsin," Illinois DNR Captain Laura Petreikis said.
"They come and visit for a little while and they go right back up to Wisconsin. This is the first one to my knowledge that has traveled as far south as it has."
Officials said if you cross its path, leave it alone.
"You should stay a distance away from it," Petreikis said. "Don't follow it with your vehicle. Don't get out of your vehicle to take pictures."
It was a frightening, but thrilling experience Thomas said she'll never forget.
"How many times are you going to see a big black bear in Illinois?" Thomas said.
DNR Officials said the last time a bear was reported in Illinois was back in 2014 or 2016 when a bear was spotted in the Rockford area.
They said there is no plan in place to capture it, as they just plan to let it run its course.
