A Jefferson County deputy tied a rope to a car door handle, retreated across the parking lot and pulled, freeing a bear that had trapped itself inside the car on Saturday, a video posted by the sheriff’s office shows.
The animal broke into the person’s car on Saturday in the foothills, “leaving behind a mess only a bear could appreciate,” the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office stated on social media.
“Go on,” the deputy can be heard urging the bear in the video captured on his body camera, clapping his hands to startle it out of the car. “Go on.”
The bear tore up the car’s seats, door linings and other parts of its interior while trapped inside the vehicle.
“Your car is destroyed,” the deputy said to the owner, peering inside at the damage.
Bears are good at breaking into vehicles, especially when they can smell food left inside, but they’re not so good at getting out, sheriff’s officials said.
Another Colorado bear staged a weekend robbery at Buckhorn Lakes in Montrose over the weekend, but this furry menace targeted a campsite of food- and drink-filled coolers, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
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We received this video/report from Buckhorn Lakes over the weekend and were able to get a wildlife officer out to the campsite to do some hands-on education.
Incidents like this can quickly escalate to future conflict that is entirely preventable. pic.twitter.com/m8Eey9s7rf
— CPW SW Region (@CPW_SW) July 1, 2025
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“When a bear like this gets a food reward from a campsite, it will remember that spot and continue to come back looking for food,” wildlife officials said on social media. “The easiest way to avoid bears is to not have anything in your campsite that has a smell that will attract them.”
To best protect themselves, wildlife officials said Coloradans should:
- Safely store food, beverages and toiletries in campsite lockers called bear boxes, in bear-proof containers away from your tent or locked in the trunk of your vehicle
- Not bring anything with an odor into their tent, including food, beverages, gum, toothpaste, sunscreen, candles and insect repellent
- Scrape grill grates after use and clean used dishes
- Scare away bears that enter the campsite with loud noises — yelling, banging pots and pans, car horns, air horns and more — so it has a negative association with the campsite
- And carry bear spray when camping
Colorado Parks and Wildlife asks that people report bear activity to the agency so wildlife officers can go out, educate people, remove attractants and keep everyone safe.
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The post WATCH: Bear breaks into, destroys Jefferson County car in Colorado foothills appeared first on Denver Post