CEREMONY AT RIVERWALK PARK IN WEST SACRAMENTO. NEW TONIGHT CELL PHONE VIDEO CAPTURING THE MOMENT A BEAR CHARGES A HIKER ON A TRAIL IN LOS ANGELES. YES. SCARY STUFF. YOU CAN SEE IT HERE. THE HIKER WALKING DOWN MOUNT WILSON IN THE ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST WAS MAKING NOISE WITH BELLS, TRYING TO SCARE THE BEAR OFF THE BEAR CHARGES TOWARD THE HIKER, WHO THEN BACKS OFF. SO DOES THE PERSON WHO RECORDED THE VIDEO. HE SAYS THE BEAR THEN FOLLOWED THEM FOR A QUARTER OF A MILE. WE ALL REALIZE THAT THE BEAR’S NOT GOING TO LEAVE THE TRAIL, SO WE EFFECTIVELY, LIKE HIKED VERTICALLY UP AND WE HID BEHIND SOME BUSHES SO THAT THE BEAR COULD PASS US. EVERYONE, INCLUDING THE BEAR, MADE IT HOME SAFELY. SO YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU RUN INTO A BEAR. SO HERE’S SOME ADVICE. THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE SAYS, FIRST AND FOREMOST, DON’T PANIC. MOST BEARS DO NOT WANT TO ATTACK YOU. NEXT, LOOK HUMAN, THEY SAY. TRY TALKING TO THE BEAR AND STAND TALL, SLOWLY WAVING YOUR ARMS. IF THE BEAR RECOGNIZES YOU AS A HUMAN, IT MAY LEAVE YOU ALONE. HERE’S WHERE THINGS TAKE A TURN. DON’T MAKE ANY LOUD NOISES LIKE YELLING OR RINGING BELLS. ALSO, DON’T TRY AND RUN AND DON’T CLIMB A TREE BECAUSE THEN YOU MIGHT LOOK LIKE PREY. BEARS CAN RUN AS FAST AS A
Bear charges hiker on Mount Wilson trail in Los Angeles, video shows
Updated: 9:23 AM PDT Apr 23, 2026
A hiker on Mount Wilson in the Angeles National Forest faced a tense encounter when a bear charged at them, as captured in cellphone video. The hiker was walking down the trail, using bells to make noise in an attempt to scare the bear away. Despite the effort, the bear charged at the hiker, who backed away, along with the person recording the video. The person who recorded the video said the bear followed them for a quarter mile. “We all realized the bear is not going to leave the trail,” Eric Chiu said. “We hiked vertically up, and we hid behind bushes so the bear could pass us.” Everyone, including the bear, made it home safely.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel(Video below: Tahoe-area bear destroys car.)
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. —
A hiker on Mount Wilson in the Angeles National Forest faced a tense encounter when a bear charged at them, as captured in cellphone video.
The hiker was walking down the trail, using bells to make noise in an attempt to scare the bear away. Despite the effort, the bear charged at the hiker, who backed away, along with the person recording the video.
The person who recorded the video said the bear followed them for a quarter mile.
“We all realized the bear is not going to leave the trail,” Eric Chiu said. “We hiked vertically up, and we hid behind bushes so the bear could pass us.”
Everyone, including the bear, made it home safely.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
(Video below: Tahoe-area bear destroys car.)