It's a SuBEARu! Driver is left stunned as her $20,000 car is totaled after a BEAR accidentally got trapped inside
- Linda Morad was house sitting in Connecticut when her car lights turned on
- Thinking somebody was stealing from her vehicle, she called police
- But when officers arrived they discovered that a fully-grown bear was inside
- Linda's insurers have since said her car, a 2015 Subaru Outback, is a write-off
Car insurers often hear bizarre excuses for how vehicles got damaged, but even so, Linda Morad's tale must have raised a few eyebrows.
That's because her 2015 Subaru Outback was totaled after being ripped apart by a bear that got trapped inside.
Linda said she was house-sitting for a friend in Canton, Connecticut, on Friday night when the trouble began.
Linda Morad was house-sitting in Connecticut on Friday last week when a bear accidentally got trapped inside her car and trashed it
Linda said she initially thought someone was robbing her vehicle and called police, but when officers arrived they found a fully-grown bear inside
Officers believe the bear opened the unlocked driver's door in search of food, but that it swung shut behind the animal, trapping it inside
While walking past a window in the house, Linda said she noticed that the headlights of her car were on.
Watching from inside, Linda told the Hartford Courant that a short time later the horn sounded and alarm went off, so she ventured outside.
She was about 20ft away from the car and trying to see through the tinted windows when she heard something moving inside and decided to call police.
When Sergeant Tyson Deloy and Officer Mark Montefalco arrived they found the suspect still inside the vehicle, but were stunned to discover it wasn't a human - but a fully grown bear.
'This is not something you train for,' Police Captain Lawrence Terra said.
After a few minutes of scratching their heads, the officers worked out a plan - Deloy would open the door of the car while standing behind it for protection, while Montefalco would stand toward the house, gun drawn, in case anything went awry.
When Deloy finally opened the vehicle, the bear didn't pay him the least bit of attention and scampered straight back into the woods.
Linda's insurers have told her that the vehicle is totaled and that they will only be able to cover some of the damage
Officers said the terrified animal had chewed and clawed at the inside of the car, as well as defecating all over the seats
Initially Linda had hoped that she might simply be able to wipe away the muck left by the bear, but her hopes soon faded
Cpt. Terra said it is not unusual for bears to break into cars and Linda admits leaving the driver's door unlocked.
'We're guessing he used his paw to open the door,' Terra said.
But all the officers admit they have never seen a bear get stuck inside a car before, and say the door must have swung shut behind the animal leaving it trapped.
Speaking to WFSB, Linda said: 'The devastation in there is just incredible. It’s like spaghetti.'
Pictures of the interior show the dash ripped to pieces, fittings hanging down from the roof, and pieces of plastic trim scattered about.
The seats have also been ripped apart, with sponge filling covering the floors.
Linda says her insurer informed her that the car is totaled. It has agreed to cover some but not all of the damage.
While bears are usually attracted to cars by food, Linda says the only food inside her vehicle on Friday was a banana - which the bear did not eat.
However, she says she used the car to transport garbage earlier in the day and believes the bear may have smelled that.
While most bears break into cars looking for food, Linda insists the only thing inside at the time of the break-in was a banana - which the bear didn't eat
The bear ripped apart the doors, roof and trim around the rear window as it tried to get out
Linda says she want to take the bear on Judge Judy in order to claim her deductible back
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