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Bear Takes Pleasanton Family Car For A Ride At Tahoe Cabin

PLEASANTON (CBS SF) – A Pleasanton family vacationing in west Lake Tahoe watched in amazement as a bear got into their Toyota Prius, took it for a ride down the driveway and tore it to pieces.

And they watched through the window as it all happened.

Brian McCarthy, Cece McCarthy and their son Dylan woke up in their Lake Tahoe cabin in the middle of the night on August 28 to the sounds of the bear in their car.

After the black bear climbed completely inside the car it apparently couldn't get out. In its struggle, the bear hit the gear shift and the car rolled away for a wild, albeit short, ride down the McCarthy's driveway, over several boulders, only stopping when it slammed into a neighbor's front porch.

"All of the sudden we look out the window again and the car is gone, the bear is down the driveway – we have this steep driveway coming out of our cabin – he's down the driveway across the street," said Cece McCarthy.

The bear was then able to get out and run back into the woods, while the car was left ripped apart, according to the Contra Costa Times.

The McCarthys told the Times there wasn't any food in the car.  A deputy filed the incident as a bear burglary.

No one was hurt and the McCarthy's car was a complete loss, covered by their insurance. But they're left with a story that is priceless.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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