Hiker Killed by Bear at Glacier National Park, Officials Say

Anthony Pollio loved the outdoors, something he knew well from growing up in his native South Florida.

Whether it was hunting, riding all-terrain vehicles, tubing on a lake or hiking, Mr. Pollio “was an outdoorsman,” his father, Arthur Pollio, said in an interview on Sunday. “He did more outdoors than most people in their entire life.”

The younger Mr. Pollio was enjoying what he loved this past week as he hiked in Glacier National Park in Montana, where he was killed by a bear, making it the first such fatality in that wilderness area in more than 25 years, the authorities said.

Mr. Pollio, 33, was last heard from on May 3. His disappearance was reported the next day, the National Park Service said, prompting a search.

Mr. Pollio, who sold outdoor equipment and was a church deacon in Sebring, Fla., where he lived, had planned to hike to the Mount Brown Fire Lookout, a steep trail near Lake McDonald.

“He had no problem being alone in the woods,” his father said of his son, who had hiked in various national parks over the years, including Everglades National Park and Grand Teton National Park.

For the trip to Glacier National Park, Mr. Pollio had packed supplies, including bear spray and a backup battery for his phone, which he used to check in with his girlfriend and his father.

The younger Mr. Pollio shared photos from the trip, his father said. The last voice mail message Arthur Pollio said he got was on the evening of May 3 as his son was on a trail, headed up and sounding out of breath.

In the message, Arthur Pollio said his son told him: “Dad, I’m hiking up a mountain. It is wild out here. I love you dad.”

On Wednesday, his remains were found approximately 50 feet off the Mount Brown Trail, the Park Service said. Mr. Pollio’s personal belongings were found two and a half miles from the trailhead.

Arthur Pollio said he believed his son had encountered a grizzly bear on his way back down the trail and used his bear spray to protect himself.

“I imagine he probably felt he blinded it and probably took off running,” Arthur Pollio said. “I think the bear chased him down and killed him.”

Evidence suggests it “was a surprise encounter,” the Park Service said on Saturday. “His injuries are consistent with those sustained by a bear encounter.”

It was not immediately clear if the bear had been found. Arthur Pollio said he hoped that park officials find the bear and euthanize it.

He said he believes that bears in the park should be outfitted with GPS chips so that officials can be aware of when several bears are in the area.

“That would have been valuable,” he said. “That could have saved my son’s life.”

Glacier National Park did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday afternoon. Multiple trails remained closed on Sunday because of bear activity, according to the park’s website.

Fatal bear encounters are uncommon in the park.

Excluding Mr. Pollio’s death, 10 people have died in bear attacks since the park was established in 1910. The last person killed by a bear was Craig Dahl on May 17, 1998, according to the Park Service.

In August 2025, a 34-year-old woman hiking near Lake Janet was injured by a “brown-colored bear,” the Park Service said. In that episode, the bear swiped at the woman, injuring her shoulder and arm.

Another person who was hiking with the woman sprayed bear spray and the bear ran away.

Glacier National Park has a higher density of grizzly bears than any other park in the continental United States, according to Pursuit, a wilderness tour operator.

The park is home to nearly 1,000 bears, including black and grizzly populations, according to the park’s website.

Mr. Pollio’s fatal bear encounter happened the same week that two hikers were injured in a bear attack at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, according to the Park Service.

On Monday, a 15-year-old boy and 28-year-old man were hiking the Mystic Falls trail near the Old Faithful geyser when they were injured, the Park Service said.

Park staff members believe that a female grizzly bear and two or three cubs were involved.

The hikers were airlifted to a hospital, where one was in critical condition and the other in serious condition, The Jackson Hole News and Guide, a newspaper in Jackson, Wyo., reported.