A Pennsylvania man is lucky to be alive after encountering a black bear that got into his garage and attacked him.
John Swartz, 60, was preparing to set up a children’s pool for his granddaughter at his home in Danville last week when the bear attacked him and brutally bit him in the head. Fox subsidiary WOLF-TV reported.
Swartz had entered his garage to disconnect a hose he was using to fill the pool, unaware that a bear had found its way into the garage through an open door.
Swartz told ABC affiliate WNEP-TV that he reached down to turn off the water and as soon as he “touched the faucet, I got spanked.”
Swartz and his wife, Lori, captured the frightening moment on security camera. The couple shared footage of the attack Thursday night and said they would “never forget” At Facebook.
In one clip, the black bear can be seen making his way into the garage just before Swartz enters. Swartz is then seen being thrown across the room after the couple argue out of camera view. Next is him seen sprinting back into his house while holding his head.
“It was something big,” he told WNEP of the bear. “It hurt and it was loud, like a growl. I was banged against the shelves and I remember holding my head.”
Swartz told WOLF-TV that he knew he had injuries when he saw blood running down his head.
The bear, which appeared unharmed, went to a nearby property.
According to WOLF-TV, the Pennsylvania State Police responded to his wife’s 911 call. Swartz was taken to a medical center, his wounds stitched up and treated, then sent home.
It was only after the attack, when Swartz replayed the footage, that he realized the bear had hit him again as he tried to run away.
“After we retrieved the video, I learn that me and the bear have met again. I fell over the bear. Of course I got a serious scrape on my elbow,” he told WNEP.
State police have since set up a donut-filled trap near the site of the attack to try to capture the roaming bear.
“It was horrible,” Lori Swartz told WNEP of her husband’s attack, “but we’re lucky it was all that happened. He has a few wounds, but they’ll heal.”
John Swartz told that NorthcentralPA news site that he plans to “be a little careful with my surroundings from now on”.
He said he didn’t want the bear to be euthanized, telling WOLF-TV: “It’s very understandable why he did what he did.” I was surprised and it surprised me. There was a way out, and it was through me.”
State police did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
According to this, there are about 18,000 black bears in the state the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Black bears are usually harmless to humans. Most attacks are a defensive reaction to a person getting too close, they say North American Bear Center.