Wild Bear Smashes Car in Viral Footage-and Sparks a Debate About ‘Bear Etiquette'
A video of a wild bear breaking into a roof rack storage unit at a vehicle parked in the Lake Tahoe area has social media debating what to do if someone witnesses a bear breaking into a vehicle.
Many viewers argue that instead of filming a video like this, onlookers should intervene to stop the bear from destroying the vehicle. But is that really the safest or smartest course of action?
Click the link here to watch this video.
In this footage, one bear breaks into the storage roof rack on top of a parked vehicle, while the other watches nearby.
It's not much of a challenge for the bear to break through the plastic roof rack and locate a backpack, which they easily tear open while searching for food.
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A few drivers passing by on the road next to the parking lot honk their horns at the bear, but the creature remains fully determined to forage for food in the roof rack and backpack.
Unsurprisingly, this video has social media debating about what the proper thing to do is when someone witnesses a bear breaking into a car like this.
As the Footage Spreads, Viewers Can't Stop Debating What Counts as ‘Proper Bear Etiquette'
Instagram viewers had a lot to say about the dos and don'ts of how to handle a situation like this.
Some viewers insisted that the right thing to do is intervene as soon as they see a bear breaking into a vehicle: "Yeah... when I see a bear destroying someone's car in broad daylight, I don't film. I yell at the bear like a dog, and they run off. As you should've."
Other viewers had a similar reaction to this video, asking: "What person sees this and doesn't stop the bear?"
Viewers also highlighted certain common items that people might leave in their vehicles without thinking about them, all of which might attract a bear: "Granola bar, chewing gum, mints, perfume, Tums, remove all of it from your car."
According to the National Park Service, if anyone sees a bear breaking into a car, they should focus on maintaining a safe distance and not trying to physically intervene.
There's a good chance that a bear breaking into a vehicle is focused on trying to get food, and if someone approaches them in that moment, they could easily become defensive or feel threatened by the human, which could result in an attack.
Instead, it's a good idea to make noise from a distance to try to scare the bear off, but only if doing so will not jeopardize that person's safety.
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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 12:15 PM.