Watch: Bear gets trapped in SUV, honks horn all night
Residents in Gold Hill, Colorado, who thought a neighbor was blasting a car horn overnight got a wilder answer Sunday: video shows a bear trapped inside an SUV, leaning on the horn. Watch bear gets trapped footage shared by Patrick Sullivan, then see how a man freed the animal with a rope.
Key Takeaways
- Gold Hill residents traced all-night horn honking to a bear stuck inside a closed SUV.
- Cellphone video from Patrick Sullivan shows the bear in the front seat pressing the horn.
- A man opened a door from a distance with a long rope so the bear could climb out and flee.
- The animal damaged a side panel and deployed the driver's side airbag, according to residents.
What happened when the bear got trapped in the SUV?
July 22 (via UPI) — Neighbors in Gold Hill first blamed a rude driver for the nonstop honking. By Sunday morning, the real culprit was clear: a bear sitting in the front seat of a closed SUV.
Patrick Sullivan shared cellphone video of the scene after residents tracked down the noise. In the clip, the bear leans on the horn inside the closed vehicle, explaining the overnight racket that had residents searching for answers.
Stories like this sit firmly in the Bizarre News & Florida Man lane—wild animal encounters that sound unreal until the footage lands.
How did people free the bear without getting closer?
Rather than pry open a door by hand, a man used a long rope to pull one of the SUV's doors open from a distance. That gave the bear an exit without a face-to-face standoff.
Once the door opened, the bear climbed out and dashed away. The quick release ended the honking and removed the animal from a confined space where it had already caused damage.
Keeping space matters in wildlife run-ins. Closing in on a bear inside a vehicle can turn a bizarre mess into a dangerous one for both people and the animal.
What damage did the trapped bear leave behind?
Residents said the bear damaged the side panel of the car and set off the driver's side airbag. Those details underline how much force a large animal can apply while stuck inside a vehicle.
The overnight horn blasts were the first clue something was wrong. The wrecked panel and deployed airbag were the second. Together they show why cars left accessible can become accidental traps when bears roam near homes.
If you live where bears are active, secure vehicles and never approach a trapped animal alone. For more odd-animal dispatches, browse BlasterPost's bizarre news hub.
Why does this Gold Hill video keep circulating?
The clip answers the question every neighbor asks after a night of honking: Who is leaning on that horn? The punchline—a bear stuck in an SUV—is simple, visual, and easy to share, which is why Sullivan's Sunday morning footage drew wide attention.
It also doubles as a cautionary note. A closed vehicle can become an accidental trap, and freeing the animal took tools, patience, and distance—not heroics up close.