Watch: Man uses bear spray to stop charging bruin at Tahoe
Watch: a man uses bear spray to stop a charging bruin outside his Lake Tahoe vacation home garage after the animal lunged toward his daughters instead of fleeing like normal—an encounter captured on security camera footage that is now circulating widely online among viewers tracking wildlife close calls. Cortlandt Koerwitz of Sacramento, California, said the bear approached while his family packed coolers for a Fourth of July boat trip.
Key Takeaways
- Cortlandt Koerwitz used bear spray to ward off a charging bear outside a Lake Tahoe vacation home garage.
- His daughters first spotted the bruin going through trash while the family prepared for a Fourth of July boat trip.
- Security camera footage recorded Koerwitz deploying the spray as the bear rushed toward him.
- Koerwitz said bears are common in the area, but aggressive charging behavior is unusual.
- He credited the bear spray with leaving him few other options during the startling confrontation.
What happened outside the Lake Tahoe garage?
Koerwitz told reporters his daughters were the first to notice the bear rummaging through trash at the Lake Tahoe vacation house. The family was in the garage packing coolers for a Fourth of July boat trip when the animal appeared.
According to Koerwitz, the bear did not behave the way local bruins usually do. Rather than running away, it moved toward the girls. He described the moment in interviews with KABC-TV and KCRA-TV.
The girls said the bear kind of came towards them instead of retreating like normal, Koerwitz told KABC-TV. That shift in behavior turned a familiar wildlife sighting into a sudden safety scare.
How did the man use bear spray during the charge?
Koerwitz keeps a can of bear spray next to the garage door. When the large animal turned its attention to him, he grabbed it and deployed the spray just as the bear rushed in.
I just kind of caught something out of my left eye, and it was the bear rushing in, Koerwitz told KCRA-TV. We were both startled, and I just shot the spray.
He said overspray from the burst hit his own eyes as well. A security camera recorded his actions during the encounter, and footage of the incident has drawn attention from viewers following odd animal stories in our Bizarre News & Florida Man coverage.
Are bear encounters common around Lake Tahoe?
Koerwitz said bears are a common sight in the Lake Tahoe area. Residents and visitors frequently see bruins near homes, especially when trash or food is accessible.
What stood out this time was the animal aggressive approach toward people. Koerwitz told KCRA-TV that charging behavior was unusual compared with typical bear sightings in the neighborhood.
So, yeah, was not a lot of options if I did not have that bear spray, he said. The incident underscores why many Tahoe-area households keep deterrents close at hand during peak summer travel season.
Where can you watch the bear spray encounter?
UPI reported the confrontation on July 10, 2026, noting that video of Koerwitz using bear spray has been shared widely online. The original UPI Odd News report points readers to footage of the charging bruin and the split-second response outside the garage.
For families visiting mountain vacation homes, the episode is a sharp reminder that wildlife can behave unpredictably even in familiar settings. Keeping approved bear spray accessible—and knowing how to use it—may matter when seconds count.