NEED TO KNOW
A California resident shared footage of a large bear living in the crawl space underneath his homeThere have been multiple recent reports of a more than 550-lb. bear living in Altadena, Calif.Prior issues with removal include capturing the wrong animal and it being too large to tranquilize
A California community has had more than they can bear as sightings of a large mammal are becoming common.
An Altadena resident shared footage with Los Angeles’ KTLA of a large bear making itself comfortable in a crawl space underneath their home, the news station reported Monday, Jan. 12.
The individual, who lives less than half a mile from where a bear stayed under another person’s home for six weeks, did not want to be identified or disclose their exact location. He believes the animal has been present for at least four to five days.
While it remains unclear whether or not it is the same bear, which was estimated to be more than 500 pounds, video aired by the news station showed the man’s point of view as he eased his way underneath the home, filming the wild animal resting from a distance while shining a flashlight in its direction.
“They need to close up the crawl space,” Deborah Wilson, who lives nearby, said with a laugh while reacting to the news in an on-camera interview.
“What are you gonna do? Grab the bear and tell him to get out? I mean, they’re gigantic, and they’re very strong,” Wilson continued. She and her family have since closed up their crawl space as a precaution.
She added that seeing wildlife in the area, such as bears and coyotes, isn’t a bizarre sight.
“We had a problem. We had some coyotes took residence in a crawl space a few blocks over and had litters for a couple years, and that was their home,” she said. “If the bear doesn’t get you, something will. So you better close up.”
After staying at an Altadena home for 37 days, resident Kenneth Johnson threatened to sue the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in December 2025 after it allegedly failed to remove the mammal.
“This has gone on long enough, and it’s something that they should deal with. It’s a tagged bear. They’ve dealt with it before. They chose not to euthanize it, and now it’s back, and it’s just going to keep on doing this,” he said at the time, per KTLA.
Johnson faced a series of unfortunate events during his time searching for a solution — including shutting off his gas service just before Christmas so the lines under his home would not be damaged.
In mid-December, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife set a trap to humanely remove the animal, but they unintentionally captured a different bear instead. That one was safely released into a suitable habitat nearby, a spokesperson for the organization previously told PEOPLE.
Johnson set up cameras when he began to see damage to his home, including his crawl space entrance being broken.
“When I saw it all torn up, I thought, ‘He must not be under there,’ because there is no way a bear could fit,” Johnson previously told NBC Los Angeles of the 550-lb. bear.
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“I don’t know how it got under there. It must be a contortionist. This thing is so big its stomach touches the ground,” Johnson told The Los Angeles Times in a Dec. 1, 2025, interview. “It’s uncomfortable walking into the kitchen thinking there’s a bear over there. I don’t think he’s any harm to me as long as I don’t go down the side of the house while he’s coming out.”
On Jan. 6, BEAR League was able to remove the animal after it “caused extensive damage to the home’s heating ducts,” the group said on Facebook.