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If you go down to 9th Avenue today, you’re sure of a big surprise… Two Hell’s Kitchen’s bears, who have survived 18 months of the pandemic, have been separated in a late-night bear-napping.
“My Yankee Bear was bear-napped last night from outside Gossip about 1:30am,” said Kieran Greene from Gossip Bar on 9th Avenue between 49/50th Street.
The bears became a feature of the Irish bar last year after they were evicted from Yankee Stadium and Citi Field to make room for COVID testing and vaccination centers. The bar was one of the first in the area to take space in the road on 9th Avenue and its Teddy Bear with a mask on became a Hell’s Kitchen favorite, photographed and featured around the world to show New York’s resilience and humor during the pandemic.
“Two female suspects were seen dragging the poor Yankee bear up 56th Street,” said Greene. “We have not received any ransom note yet.”
Greene told us the “poor Mets bear is lonely” — and he’s considering launching a GoFundMe for the safe return of its Yankee partner.
Reassuringly, “the Yankee Bear is Vaccinated, but Mets Bear is not and that’s why they were sitting outside last night,” Greene added.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of the bear, please call Kieran on (212) 265-2720. Let’s hope this furry story has a happy ending!