A total bear catastrophe.
A black bear turned a family’s Subaru into a wreck after sneaking inside an unlocked vehicle in Alaska—then accidentally trapping itself.
The large bear was discovered shortly after midnight Monday, when it became stuck inside the Subaru in Juneau, KTUU reported.
According to the vehicle’s owner, Michael Wilson, the animal had already entered three cars that night. He compared the bizarre break-in spree to “the Goldilocks situation, except he got locked in the last car.”
A neighbor eventually heard the Subaru’s horn blaring and contacted police after seeing the bear moving around inside.
Officers woke Wilson to retrieve the keys, but the bear had damaged the wiring, leaving the doors unable to unlock.
“He was fighting pretty good to get out of the other door,” Wilson told the local station.
Police ultimately used a rope to force open one of the doors and release the trapped animal.
“He actually puts his paw on the window at one point before the officer opens the door,” witness Angela Harkins said.
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After roughly five to 10 minutes, officers managed to open the door, and the bear fled into the night without apparent injuries.
Wilson’s Subaru, however, suffered extensive damage.
“The metal’s bent, all that plastic’s torn off, the chairs are torn off, the back seats are torn apart,” he said.
The family had only liability insurance and no comprehensive coverage, meaning the costly repairs will not be covered, Wilson said.
Even after losing his vehicle to the bear’s destructive escape attempt, Wilson managed to find some humor in the ordeal.
“So I got to hand it to Subaru. They made a good car,” he joked. “[The bear] couldn’t get out.”
Wilson said Juneau has experienced unusually intense bear activity this season. More than 200 inches of snow and a late-arriving spring have left the animals with fewer berries and fish to forage.
“Lock your doors,” Wilson warned. “Don’t leave any food, no candy.”
“No, don’t put any candy in the car and lock your doors.”
