Black bear locked inside Subaru in Juneau, Alaska, destroys car interior
A large black bear got locked inside an unlocked Subaru in Juneau, Alaska, just after midnight on 26 October and tore up the interior before police freed it. The owner, Michael Wilson, said his insurance does not cover the damage.
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The story, neutrally told
Right · 2A large black bear got trapped inside a family's Subaru in Juneau, Alaska, just after midnight on Monday 26 October, according to KTUU as relayed by both outlets. New York PostR “Just after midnight on Monday, a large bear got trapped inside the unlocked Subaru in Juneau, KTUU reported.” Read at New York Post ↗ The Straits TimesRC “just past midnight on Oct 26, and somehow got itself locked inside the car, Alaska news outlet KTUU reported.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 2The car's owner, Michael Wilson, said the bear had entered three vehicles that night, calling it "the Goldilocks situation, except he got locked in the last car." New York PostR “the car’s owner Michael Wilson said, describing the bizarre ordeal as “the Goldilocks situation, except he got locked in the last car.”” Read at New York Post ↗ The Straits TimesRC “the bear had tried out three different cars before settling on his Subaru” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 2A neighbour heard the car horn blaring and called police after seeing the bear inside; the New York Post says the vehicle was unlocked, and the Straits Times says the bear was seen sitting on the horn. New York PostR “A neighbor heard the car’s horn blasting and called the cops after spotting the sneaky beast inside the vehicle.” Read at New York Post ↗ The Straits TimesRC “with the bear spotted sitting squarely on it” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Right · 2Officers woke Wilson to get the keys, but the New York Post reports the bear had ripped out wiring and the doors would not unlock; Wilson said the bear "was fighting pretty good to get out of the other door." New York PostR “Responding officers woke up Wilson to get the keys — but the furry vandal had ripped out wiring and the doors wouldn’t unlock.” Read at New York Post ↗ The Straits TimesRC ““He was fighting pretty good to get out of the (car’s) door,” Wilson recounted.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 2After about five to 10 minutes, officers used a rope to pry open a door, and the bear ran away unharmed. New York PostR “Cops used a rope to pry open the car’s door to free the trapped bruin.” Read at New York Post ↗ The Straits TimesRC “the officers used a rope to prise open the vehicle’s door to free the trapped intruder, which ran away unharmed.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 2Wilson described the damage: "The metal's bent, all that plastic's torn off, the chairs are torn off, the back seats are torn apart." New York PostR ““The metal’s bent, all that plastic’s torn off, the chairs are torn off, the back seats are torn apart,” he said.” Read at New York Post ↗ The Straits TimesRC ““The metal’s bent. All that plastic’s torn off. The chairs are torn off. The back seats are torn apart,” he said.” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Right · 2The family had only liability insurance and no comprehensive coverage, so the damage is not covered, Wilson said. New York PostR “only had liability [insurance] and didn’t have comprehensive, so it’s not covered.” Read at New York Post ↗ The Straits TimesRC “Wilson said he did not have comprehensive insurance coverage, so he would have to foot the bill for everything.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 1Wilson joked that Subaru "made a good car" because the bear could not get out. New York PostR ““So I got to hand it to Subaru. They made a good car,” he quipped. “[The bear] couldn’t get out.”” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 2Bear activity in Juneau has been higher this season, which the Wilson family attributed to heavy snow and a late spring leaving fewer berries and fish; the outlets give different snowfall figures (more than 200 inches versus more than 5 metres). New York PostR “after more than 200 inches of snow has fallen and a late spring left few berries and fish.” Read at New York Post ↗ The Straits TimesRC “with more than 5m of snow falling and a late spring leaving fewer berries and fish for the animals, according to the Wilson family.” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Right · 2Wilson urged residents to lock their doors and not leave food, including candy, in cars. New York PostR ““Lock your doors,” Wilson pleaded. “Don’t leave any food, no candy.”” Read at New York Post ↗ The Straits TimesRC ““Lock your doors,” Wilson advised those living in bear territories.” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right2 outlets
- Framing
- Both treat it as a light human-interest oddity built around owner Michael Wilson's quotes; the New York Post leads with his joke about Subaru, the Straits Times with pun-heavy hotel-review wordplay.
- Emphasis
- Wilson's wry humour, the destroyed interior, the lack of comprehensive insurance and his advice to lock doors; the Straits Times also stresses more frequent bear encounters.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither gives a police statement, an estimate of repair cost, or comment from Subaru or wildlife officials; both rely on KTUU.
- Charged language
- “sneaky black bear”“four-legged bandit”“furry vandal”“One-star staycation, five-star tantrum”“un-bear-able”
- For example
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“A sneaky black bear broke into a family’s Subaru in Alaska and unleashed mass destruction after it locked itself inside.” — New York Post
“His rating? Totally un-bear-able.” — The Straits Times
What every side reports
- A black bear got locked inside a Subaru in Juneau, Alaska, just after midnight on 26 October.
- Police freed the bear with a rope after about five to 10 minutes and it ran off unharmed.
- The interior was badly damaged and the owner's insurance does not cover it.
- Both outlets draw on KTUU's reporting and quotes from owner Michael Wilson.
Where accounts differ
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Whether the car was unlocked and how the bear ended up trapped
- Right
- The New York Post says the bear entered an unlocked Subaru and that wiring was ripped out so doors would not unlock; the Straits Times says only that the bear somehow got locked in.
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Snowfall figure
- Right
- The New York Post says more than 200 inches; the Straits Times says more than 5m (about 197 inches), which is roughly consistent.
North America1 outlet
The New York Post relays the local KTUU report with a comic, crime-style tone and Wilson's insurance lesson.
“The four-legged bandit had snuck into three vehicles that night” — New York Post
New York Post
East and Southeast Asia1 outlet
The Straits Times retells it as a quirky world story with hotel-review wordplay and notes the seasonal rise in bear encounters.
“quite literally shredding the accommodation to pieces during its impromptu stay.” — The Straits Times
The Straits Times
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right2 articles
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Black bear shreds car to pieces after getting locked inside: ‘Fighting pretty good’
Mixed Playful tabloid-style account of a bear vandalising a car, balanced with the owner's insurance misfortune.
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Mixed Pun-laden retelling presenting the bear as giving the car a bad review, with context on increased bear encounters in Juneau.
- 28 Oct 03:31 First New York PostR Black bear shreds car to pieces after getting locked inside: ‘Fighting pretty good’
- 28 Oct 10:11 +6h 40m The Straits TimesRC One-star staycation, five-star tantrum: Alaska bear gives Subaru ‘poor review’ after getting locked inside
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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