Moment US family smash SUV window to free a BEAR that locked itself inside their car

Published: 11:21, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 11:22, 20 August 2026 A family were forced to smash the window of their car after a bear managed to lock itself inside.  The group were in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, when they discovered a huge bear trapped inside their SUV on Tuesday. One of the car doors in the driveway was noticed to be slightly ajar and assuming someone had left it open, one of the brothers went outside to close it. As soon as he shut the door, he heard a strange noise and looked through the window to find a bear sitting in the backseat eating snacks - but the keys were locked inside.  Video footage shows one of the men attempting to unlock the door using a wire hanger. But the bear reportedly grew increasingly panicked, biting the seats and tearing apart the interior. His brother-in-law then picked up a wooden log and smashed the rear window of the trunk to help the animal escape. As the bear crawled out of the car, the family ran frantically away but the animal simply wandered off calmly. Video footage shows one of the men attempting to unlock the door using a wire hanger His brother-in-law then picked up a wooden log and smashed the rear window of the trunk to help the animal escape As the bear crawled out of the car, the family ran frantically away but the animal simply wandered off calmly It has become common across areas in the US for bears to open doors and climb into cars in search of food. Tennessee Wildlife workers have previously said that 'bears have noses 7 times better than a bloodhound,' and that the animals 'can smell even the faintest odor of food inside a vehicle.'  It comes after a black bear died in June 2022 after getting trapped inside a car while looking for food. Temperatures in the vehicle, which was parked and unlocked outside a rental cabin in rural Tennessee, reportedly exceeded 60 degrees Celsius. The bear, officials said, climbed inside the unlocked green jeep in search of food, but became trapped after accidentally shutting the door behind itself.  Officials said the bear likely got inside the vehicle using its teeth or paws.