The bear climbed in, got stuck and caught the handbrake sending him backwards down the hill
A bear in the US state of Colorado managed to gain entry to a Subaru SUV and took himself on a short ride before crashing.
The black bear climbed into the vehicle but got stuck once inside and the police believe it caught the handbrake, releasing the car which then rolled backwards down a hill.
A resident of Durango, where the incident took place, woke up to discover a Subaru SUV smashed up at the bottom of the hill at the end of his driveway, leaving him with a crushed mailbox.
Bear in Colorado takes Subaru SUV for a short ride!
“Usually, I don’t get up at 5 o’clock unless there is a bear driving a car down the street,” joked Ron Cornelius with his local newspaper.
According to officials from the area, around two or three bears get stuck in vehicles each week, however this one managed to release the handbrake and took himself off on a joyride before coming to a standstill.
Due to a late season frost, the bears have taken to breaking into cars in the hope of finding food inside.
La Plata County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dan Bender said that some black bears have now learnt how to open car doors using the handles, however this is the first time one has taken the vehicle on a joyride.
At first, Mr Cornelius and his wife thought the car had been taken by thieves but once they looked inside and saw the damage they knew it was down to a bear, plus it had left fresh excrement in the car too!
The bear had managed to smash the back window, rip the radio out and pull the steering wheel off in just a small period of time.
“It would have taken a human being hours to do what this bear did in a couple minutes,” said Mr Cornelius.
Residents have been advised by local officials to not leave food in their vehicles and to make sure the doors are locked.
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