Sierra Madre woman returns to bear inside home

Police and wildlife officials were called to a home in Sierra Madre Wednesday morning after a bear broke into a home and enjoyed some food in the refrigerator.

Officers were dispatched to the home in the 100 block of South Hermosa Avenue shortly before 2 a.m. after the homeowners arrived and called 911, the Sierra Madre Police Department said.

“I was walking through my courtyard and I glanced to the left where my side door is and it was wide open,” homeowner Chelsea Mapanda told KTLA.

Mapanda also noticed through the window that the refrigerator door had been opened and food was scattered on the ground.

“So, I automatically knew that a bear was in my house because we had been alerted that a bear was around,” Mapanda said.

Officers arrived at the scene and heard grunting sounds while inside the home, the Police Department stated. The officers decided to exit and secure the area.

The bear apparently wandered out of the home on its own. Residents were asked to avoid the area of South Hermosa and Ramona Avenue.

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Wildlife sightings in the area, which is in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, are not uncommon, city of Sierra Madre spokesperson Laura Aguilar said.

“We do experience a number of wildlife. We have bears and coyotes here,” Aguilar said.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials were dispatched to the location and will coordinate with police with the goal to “resolve this matter quickly and safely to both human and animal.”

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