A family in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, had to smash the rear window of their SUV to free a bear that had become trapped inside. The incident occurred on Tuesday when one of the brothers noticed a car door slightly ajar and went to close it.
Upon shutting the door, he heard a noise and discovered a bear in the backseat eating snacks. The vehicle's keys were locked inside, preventing the family from opening the doors normally. Video footage captured one of the men attempting to use a wire hanger to unlock the vehicle.
As the bear grew increasingly panicked, it began to bite the car seats and tear at the interior. The brother-in-law then retrieved a wooden log and broke the rear window to allow the animal to escape. The family quickly moved away as the bear exited the car and calmly wandered off.
Incidents of bears entering vehicles in search of food have become increasingly common in some U.S. areas. Wildlife officials in Tennessee have noted that bears possess a strong sense of smell, capable of detecting faint food odors inside cars. This behavior follows a previous incident in June 2022, where a black bear died after becoming trapped in an unlocked Jeep in rural Tennessee while seeking food. In that case, the bear reportedly entered the vehicle in search of food but accidentally shut the door, trapping itself. Temperatures inside the vehicle at the time were reported to have exceeded 60 degrees Celsius.