Bear Takes Family's Prius for a Spin, Wrecks It

PLEASANTON, Calif. – The McCarthy family of Pleasanton, Calif., have an unusual explanation for how their 2002 Toyota Prius got totaled over the summer, the Contra Costa Times reported Tuesday.

In short, a bear took the vehicle for a spin from the driveway of their west Lake Tahoe cabin.

It seems the bear got into the car easily enough, but once inside became stuck, and got mad about it -- ripping seats open, biting a chunk out of the steering wheel and damaged the gear box, which shifted the car into neutral.

Awakened by noise from the 3:30 a.m. raid, the family watched from the safety of the cabin as the Prius slowly started rolling out of the slightly sloped driveway. Picking up speed, it rolled across the street, hopped a small rock wall and finally came to stop on the porch steps of a neighbor's house.

Brian McCarthy, 61, said he did not know why the bear, which escaped back into the woods, would want to get in the car in the first place.

"The car was completely closed," he said. "There wasn't any food in there. The only things in there were a beach towel, some CDs and a few phone chargers."

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department's Lt. David Stevenson said they got calls about bears often, but McCarthy's Aug. 28 situation was a bit different.

"Normally, you'll get reports of the Dumpster divers and trash divers, but bears breaking into cars is different," he said.