Ralph Story, a resident in the town of Larkspur, Colorado woke up Friday morning to his 2008 Toyota Corolla in rough shape and beyond repair. The interior was destroyed, the dashboard had been ripped out, and the airbags were deployed. A number of thoughts went through Ralph's mind; 'did I get robbed?', 'Did I drive while I was sleeping?', 'Is this even my car?' He never suspected the true culprit! A Black Bear!

Yes, that's right, a black bear went for a little joyride last Friday morning when it got into Ralph's unlocked car and knocked the gear into neutral, sending it down a hill and knocking over a few trees before coming to a full stop.

The Denver Post reports that an adult black bear got behind the wheel after the driver's son left a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a stick of deodorant in the car. The door closed behind the bear and as it looked for a way out, the gear shift was bumped into neutral and sent the car rolling 125 feet backwards down a hill.

Neighbours called the police after hearing the car honk for 45 minutes.

The Good News is... the damages to Ralph's car were covered by insurance and the bear was freed by deputies two-and-a-half hours after it's wild ride.  Police decided not to charge the bear with Grand Theft Auto, because in fact there is no law in place to charge a bear with stealing a car.

When asked to comment, the bear denied all responsibility for the incident, stating, “I’m pretty sure it had something to do with the accelerator pedal sticking.”

The lesson of the story? Remember, if in Bear Country, be Beary careful and put all food away!.