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It happened on May 22 in Wright Township, Luzerne County, the commission wrote in a release.
Two children aged 5 and 14 months were playing in their driveway when the attack occurred, officials said. Investigators are still unsure what might have provoked the bear's aggression.
The victims were treated for bites and scratches and later released from Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, the Game Commission noted.
Game wardens have set up two traps near the home, and say they will use DNA testing to positively identify the guilty bear. If caught, the animal will be euthanized "as a precaution," the commission says.
Officials say bear attacks like Monday's incident are unusual, and that bears generally only become violent to people when "cornered and not given an opportunity to flee."
The bear that carried out Monday's attack "likely isn’t prone" to aggression, and was probably "triggered by some unknown circumstance," the Commission suggested.
All Pennsylvanians are urged to keep their distance from bears.
"If encountering a bear, it’s important to let the bear know you’re there," officials said. "Getting a bear’s attention by vocalizing or waving at it, often is enough to make it move off."
"Bears sometimes stand their ground, and might employ more aggressive measures, like popping their jaws or bluffing a charge at a person, stopping short," game wardens continued.
"But even in these types of cases, a bear usually will give a person the chance to back out of an encounter."
To learn more about bear safety, visit bearwise.org.
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