Two teenage boys got the scare of a lifetime when a bear sauntered into a vacation home, interrupting their Saturday night TV-watching, to help itself to a meal of taco meat, two pints of ice cream and crackers.

The teens hid behind a sliding door before a Placer County deputy eventually came to their rescue, but it was a close call, said 15-year-old Hayes Sherman, who was staying at his family’s Truckee vacation home with friend Bobby Harden.

“The whole thing was 13 minutes, but it felt like two hours,” he said. “It’s scary when you’re waiting in a scary situation. You feel like it’s forever.”

The boys were in the TV room early Saturday morning when they heard loud noises coming from the kitchen. The refrigerator began to beep, a warning the door had been left open, they said.


Hayes realized there was an intruder inside, so the boys closed a sliding door separating them from the bear. He used his Apple watch to call his mother, who was in an upstairs room, and warned her not to open the door, fearing their dog, a cockapoo, would get out.

“She would have been a meatball to that huge bear,” the teen said.

Then he called 911.

The bear continued making a ruckus in the kitchen before sniffing its way to the boys.


Hayes Sherman and Bobby Harden, both 15, were grateful to Deputy Allyson Prero for saving their lives after a bear intrusion. (Hayes Sherman)

“It bumps on the door. It scratches, trying with all its might to get in,” Hayes said. “We had to push as hard as we could.”

As the animal lumbered off, the boys peeked out to determine whether they could make it to the staircase. But the bear turned back, making eye contact with the teens.

“That was definitely the scariest moment of my life,” Hayes said.


Luckily, headlights flashed through the window at that point, signaling help had arrived. Placer County sheriff’s Deputy Allyson Prero opened the front door and quickly got out of the way so the bear could make its exit, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The big beast lingered in the driveway before Prero fired a “bear round” from her shotgun to shoo the animal away.

“We came out, and we gave her a hug,” Hayes said. “We were so grateful.”

The bear left quite a mess: shredded pieces of plastic containers, food — and something else on the floor. Four cleaning companies declined to help the family clean bear scat from the rug.