LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. – Ken Johnson, of Altadena, first realized something was wrong when he started hearing strange noises beneath his home. But he didn’t expect to discover a full-grown bear squeezing itself into the tiny crawl space.
His security camera shows the bear coming and going as if it lives there.
“I have a bear living under my house, that’s my situation,” Johnson said.
He believes the bear may be using the space as a winter den.
“Someone said that he doesn’t hibernate ’cause this is California, ’cause they den. So he’s making that his den for the winter. He may come out, I don’t know,” he said.
When Johnson showed us the crawl-space area, the bear was already inside. The moment it heard people approaching, it made a loud move that sent everyone jumping. In the video, its massive paw can be seen reaching toward the entrance.
“He’s right there,” Johnson said.
The bear appears to sit near the opening, staring out. Johnson believes there isn’t enough room for it to go much farther inside.
“I think when he stands up, his back hits the beams of the floor,” he said.
Earlier this year, a bear that looked very much like this one was spotted at another home in Altadena. The community sits at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, where wildlife sightings are common. But Johnson says having a bear actually living under your house is a bit much. He says he regularly hears the animal at night. “I can hear him when I’m in the kitchen, watching TV at night. I can hear him moving around. He tries to get up and everything shakes.”
About a week ago, after he finally caught the bear clearly on camera, Johnson called the Sheriff’s Department for help. They told him to contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. He says he did, but so far has not received assistance. In the meantime, he continues to live with the intruder, who often rummages through his trash and leaves a mess behind. “This is ridiculous,” Johnson said. “Destroying the entrance and just staying… he’s not paying rent. A squatter living rent-free in my house.”
Johnson says he has come up with his own plan, involving sweet rolls. He wants to place several outside to lure the bear away. Once the bear steps out, he hopes to block the crawl-space entrance with sandbags and use bear spray to keep the animal from returning.
In a statement, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the homeowner should be contacted by biologists soon. The agency said the most common response to a bear under a home is for residents to keep a safe distance, monitor the animal, and secure access points once the bear leaves. Officials also urge residents to remove anything that might attract bears, including garbage, pet food, bird feeders, fallen fruit, and uncleaned grills. They add that if someone encounters a bear, they should avoid cornering it, give it room to escape, make themselves appear larger, make loud noises, and slowly back away to safety.
For now, Johnson says he’s still waiting for help and hoping his uninvited guest eventually decides to move on.