Bear break-in: Man gets ‘carjacked’ by cubs who honk horn for rescue

Two bear cubs let their curiosity get the better of them when they found themselves locked in a van on Friday.

Security technician Jeff Stokely parked his van outside a customer’s home in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and went to work.

Soon after, he heard a horn honking and realized the sound was coming from his van. Inside were two bear cubs, repeatedly hitting their paws on the horn.

READ MORE: Black bear breaks into U.S. middle school after hours and wanders halls

Stokely shared footage of the bears on his personal Facebook page, writing: “I got carjacked today while I was with a customer.”

In one video, the two cubs can be seen roaming around the interior of the car, putting their paws up against the windshield and honking the horn.

In another, Stokely gets the back door of his van open. Both baby bears escape, with one becoming frightened by people nearby and climbing up a tree.

It seemed that no mama bear was around, but as Stokely says in the footage, she couldn’t be too far away.

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It’s likely, he explained, that the animals found their way in through the driver’s side door and hit a button, locking themselves inside.

0:35 Security video captures black bear roaming hallways of Pennsylvania middle school

Luckily, no one was hurt — even the inside of the car was undamaged — and some on Facebook are taking the moment to crack a few “bear-y” funny jokes.

One Facebook user joked: “Did you ask fur his licence and registration?”

Another commented: “I hope your ride back to the shop was not too stinky.”

This isn’t the first case of a bear break-and-enter.

Just last month, a solo bear cub broke into a Pennsylvania middle school after hours and wandered the halls.

According to Bradford School District officials, the furry animal threw its body against the door of Fretz Middle School, hitting the window and popping its frame out.

READ MORE: Here comes the bear — Furry wedding guest crashes Tennessee couple’s nuptials

According to WKBW Buffalo, it’s believed the bear saw its own reflection in the window and charged it around 9 p.m.

In video footage obtained through the school’s CCTV system, the bear can be seen wandering the halls and looking inside classrooms.

The visit was short-lived, however, as the bear reportedly saw its reflection again and exited the way it came in.

— With files from Associated Press

meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca