Neighbor Discovers Bear Living Under Home After California Eviction

In a California neighbourhood, a series of bear encounters is increasingly troubling the residents. 

An Altadena local provided some video to Los Angeles’ KTLA showing a massive bear comfortably situated in the crawl space below his house, according to a report on Monday. 

Preferring anonymity and opting not to reveal his precise address, the resident, who is situated less than half a mile from where a bear previously settled for over a month, estimates its presence for four to five days.

Though it's uncertain if this is the same bear, reported to weigh over 500 pounds, the footage revealed the man's cautious approach as he filmed the animal resting beneath, using a flashlight to illuminate it from a safe distance. 

“They need to close up the crawl space,” Deborah Wilson, a neighbour, humorously remarked during a televised 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 added. Her family has since secured their own crawl space as a safety measure. 

She mentioned it's not unusual to see wildlife like bears and coyotes in the vicinity.

“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 continued. “If the bear doesn’t get you, something will. So you better close up.”

Following a bear’s 37-day stay under an Altadena property, homeowner Kenneth Johnson hinted at legal action against the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in December 2025, accusing them of not removing the bear. 

"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 euthanise it, and now it's back, and it's just going to keep on doing this," he expressed, according to KTLA.

Johnson faced several hurdles while seeking a resolution, including having to cut off his gas service just before Christmas to protect the lines under his house.

Mid-December saw the California Department of Fish and Wildlife setting a trap to catch the bear humanely, but they ended up catching a different species.

That bear was safely relocated to a fitting habitat, as stated by a department spokesperson to PEOPLE.

Johnson reported having observed signs of damage to his home, including a broken crawl space entry, prompting him to install surveillance cameras.

"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 shared with NBC Los Angeles regarding the massive animal.

"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 mentioned to The Los Angeles Times during a December 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 January 6, BEAR League successfully relocated the animal, stating on Facebook that the bear had “caused extensive damage to the home’s heating ducts.”