A motorcyclist escaped serious injury yesterday when he collided with a black bear that unexpectedly ran across a northwestern New Jersey highway.

Sgt. Julian Castellanos, a State Police spokesman, said the man was northbound on Route 94 in the Sussex County community of Fredon when the accident occurred around 9:30 a.m.

The motorcyclist — whose name was not released — was taken to Newton Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and later released.

Castellanos said the bear also survived and walked into the woods.