California man finds bear living in crawl space underneath home: 'He's been in and out all week'

ALTADENA, Calif. -- A Southern California antheral got a large astonishment past week erstwhile helium recovered a 500-pound carnivore surviving underneath his home.

Ken Johnson, a section merchandise photographer, said it each started past Tuesday erstwhile helium took a look astatine 1 of his surveillance cameras and noticed a carnivore successful the crawl abstraction nether his Altadena house.

"In June, I walked by determination and noticed the crawl abstraction had each been torn up," Johnson told ABC7 Eyewitness News connected Monday. "The bricks had been pulled out, the framework had been ripped up apart, truthful I enactment a camera determination to spot what was doing it."

He said helium had seen a YouTube video of another Altadena nonmigratory who had a carnivore surviving successful its crawl space, truthful helium started to wonder.

"It looked conscionable similar my crawl space, truthful I thought, 'There's perchance a way,'" helium said. "Next happening I know, my camera picks up a carnivore crawling retired from nether the crawl abstraction - and present he's been successful and retired each week."

Johnson said the bear's close nether his kitchen, truthful helium hears the carnivore moving around.

"I thought he'd beryllium agelong gone by now. It's unnerving," helium said.

In fact, Johnson said helium adjacent came beauteous adjacent to the carnivore erstwhile helium was trying to alteration the camera's batteries.

"I went to regenerate the batteries and this immense growl came from underneath the abstraction and frightened maine to death," helium said. "I couldn't halt shaking. It's the strangest sound, too. It's similar a roar but it's got this hiss connected it too, similar a dragon. I mean, it's conscionable incredible, and coming retired from underneath that space, it conscionable reverberates adjacent much ... conscionable horrible."

Johnson said helium contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and was told a biologist from San Diego volition look into the case. Eyewitness News has besides contacted the section and is awaiting a response.