A Bear Climbed Into a Juneau Family's Subaru, Got Locked In and Tore the Car Apart

JUNEAU, Alaska, Oct. 28, 2026 — The car alarm in this story was a black bear, sitting on the horn of a Subaru it could not get out of.

A neighbor heard the honking around 12:30 a.m. Monday, looked outside and saw the bear behind the wheel, then called 911, Alaska's News Source reported. The car was unlocked when the bear climbed in. Once the door shut behind it, the bear was stuck.

Juneau police woke the owners to get the keys, but by then the bear had torn out enough wiring that the doors would not unlock. "He actually puts his paw on the window at one point before the officer opens the door," Angela Harkins said. Officers looped a rope around the handle and pulled the door open from a safe distance, and the bear ran off unhurt within about 10 minutes, UPI reported.

The car did not fare as well. Owner Michael Wilson showed off bent metal, torn plastic and seats ripped loose, and still managed a compliment for the carmaker. "I got to hand it to Subaru. They made a good car," he said. "It couldn't get out."

The family said the bear tried three cars that night and only got locked in the last one, which they called "the Goldilocks situation." They blamed a rough year for bears, with more than 200 inches of snow and a late spring leaving fewer berries and fish. The damage is not covered, since they carried only liability insurance. Wilson's advice for everyone else: lock your doors and leave no candy in the car.