Of all the things that might disturb or damage a parked car, a black bear seems less likely than, well, just about everything else.
When realtor Vicki Costantini was abruptly woken up at 4:30 a.m. by the sounds of her white Range Rover's horn honking, she never imagined what was causing the vehicle to go haywire. Unable to see inside the car because of the condensation that had fogged the windows, she cautiously used her key fob to open the hatch. As she and her friends watched and waited from a distance, they were shocked to eventually see a bear crawl out from the SUV's trunk.
@vickycostantini1 We heard honking at 4:30 am. I thought there was See part 2 for the destruction. #rangerover #bearbreakin #arnoldca #countryliving #bearshit #breakin ? original sound - Hi it's Vicky Costantini
Costantini, from Redwood City, California, and her friends were on a bachelorette getaway at her vacation home in the community of Arnold in Calaveras County. According to her Tiktok account, she called 911 before she knew what was causing the disturbance to her vehicle, but it took officials an hour to arrive. After the bear escaped through the back door, her friends' surprised expressions can be heard through their expletives in her Tiktok video.
Costantini also posted an aftermath Tiktok video of the damage the bear had done to the car. It had completely destroyed her door panels and ripped apart her dashboard and seats. She explained to Fox News KTVU that there wasn't any food in the SUV, except for a can of Altoids that were left untouched.
"It was foamy at the mouth when it came out. It was probably very dehydrated from having been in there so long," she said. "It was pretty desperate to get out."
@vickycostantini1 When a bear spends the night in your car....😔#rangerover #bearbreakin #breakin #totaledcar #bear #bayarearealtor ? I Wanna Go Home - Fat Cat
She posted a few more videos on her account of the situation including first-hand perspectives from her friends, a few light-hearted jokes, and what happened post bear break-in. It led Costantini to opt for a rental car, and she said she's sad about her Range Rover and stressed about having to find a new car. Her insurance, luckily, would be covering everything.
"Insurance covers it sounds great, but it's a six year old car so it covers what a six year old Range Rover costs. And now I've got to go out and find something like that or just spend a bunch more money," she explained.
She also mentioned that the bear broke into the car during the one instance where she left it unlocked. She normally keeps the vehicle locked in her garage and now plans to never stray away from that strategy. Bear safety knowledge is important, as more bears are becoming too accustomed to urban areas and comfortable with nearby humans. You can never go wrong with being too over prepared on the off chance you encounter a bear.
