The new sighting comes days after a 550-pound black bear was driven from a nearby crawl space.
ALTADENA, CA — A large black bear has taken up residence beneath an Altadena house just days after a different bear was forced out from under a nearby home, residents said Monday. The latest animal was recorded on video by the homeowner, who asked not to be named, and appears to have been sheltering in the crawl space for several days.
The new encounter extends a weeks-long neighborhood saga that began in late November, when a 550-pound bear wedged itself under Ken Johnson’s home and refused to leave. State wildlife officers tried several tactics and even trapped the wrong animal before a nonprofit team coaxed the bear out last week and installed an electrified mat to keep it from returning. Now a second house in the same area has a similar problem, raising questions about whether it is the same tagged bear roaming back through the foothills or another one drawn downhill after recent fires and winter food scarcity.
Johnson’s ordeal stretched across the holidays and into the new year. He first spotted the bear squeezing into his crawl space shortly after Thanksgiving and reported damage to his heating ducts and a twisted gas line. He said repeated attempts to scare the animal off with noise and paintballs failed. “I was at my wits’ end,” Johnson said in an interview last week. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife deployed a trap baited with sweets, but it caught a smaller bear and had to be reset. By Jan. 6, a responder with the BEAR League, a wildlife nonprofit, used nonlethal methods to nudge the 550-pound animal out within about 20 minutes, then placed an electrified “unwelcome mat” at the entry to the crawl space.
State records identify the earlier animal as Yellow 2120, a tagged male black bear that has been seen in the San Gabriel foothills. Officials and rescuers said the bear tried to return but retreated after touching the deterrent mat. Johnson is tallying thousands of dollars in repairs after weeks without hot water and repeated visits from utility crews. “I just want my house back to normal,” he said. The new homeowner a few doors away said they heard thumping beneath their floors over the weekend and later captured phone video of a bear lying on the dirt. The resident told neighbors the animal has not acted aggressively but seems determined to stay, at least for now.
Wildlife officials say it remains unclear whether the bear under the second home is the same ear-tagged animal or a different black bear wandering the neighborhood. The agency noted that the foothill community has regular bear activity, especially after fire seasons that push animals out of burned canyons. In the Johnson case, responders reported the bear had torn apart ductwork and moved around insulation while sheltering from cold, wet weather. The nonprofit that helped remove it said the size of the animal—estimated at more than 500 pounds—ranked among the largest they had handled in the Los Angeles area. Neighbors have started sealing crawl-space openings with lumber and mesh and are checking for unsecured access doors beneath raised foundations.
The recent Eaton wildfire left scars in nearby mountain habitat and complicated the winter for wildlife, according to local officials and residents. Bears commonly descend into communities along the San Gabriel Mountains when natural food sources thin, biologists say, seeking easy calories in trash or safe, dry places to rest. The pattern plays out most often in fall and winter. In Altadena, where many homes have elevated floors and ground-level vents, crawl spaces can be appealing den sites. Longtime residents recalled earlier years when coyotes denned beneath porches after storms; the size and strength of bears make removal far more complicated and potentially dangerous for people and the animal.
The back-and-forth also touched off friction over who should handle such cases. Johnson publicly pressed the state to act faster and said he considered legal steps during the standoff. Fish and Wildlife said its goal was to resolve the situation without injuring the bear or the public. After the wrong animal was trapped, officials adjusted their approach and coordinated with the nonprofit group. On the day of the removal, a responder fired paintballs to move the bear into the open while others monitored from a distance. According to the team, the animal bolted, returned once overnight, then left again after encountering the electrified mat placed at the entry gap.
As word spread about a second bear under a nearby home, neighbors gathered on sidewalks and in driveways comparing notes about vents, lattice work and crawl-space clearances. “We’ve all lived with bears around here,” said David Morales, who has lived in the area for more than a decade. “But two under houses in one week is a first for me.” Another resident, Tina Robinson, said she checked beneath her own home and found an access door ajar. “I don’t want to meet one down there,” she said. The homeowner with the new bear said they planned to allow wildlife specialists to assess the situation before any removal attempt, adding that the animal appeared calm when viewed from an exterior vent.
Black bears are California’s only native bear species, and sightings are common along the Los Angeles County foothills. Bears typically avoid people and will move off if given space, biologists say, but can cause costly damage when they settle under structures, pull insulation, or disturb utilities. In Johnson’s case, a utility worker shut off a gas line during the weeks-long occupation, and repairs to ducts and underfloor vents are ongoing. The BEAR League said it would continue advising residents in the area and could reinstall deterrent mats if the tagged bear returns. State officials said any decision about trapping or relocation would depend on the bear’s behavior and public safety considerations in the coming days.
As of Monday evening, the homeowner with the new bear reported no attempted removal and no injuries in the area. Neighbors said they plan to keep watch overnight and share any updates with wildlife officers. Whether the second bear moves on by itself or is coaxed out, residents expect another round of repairs and inspections. The next milestone is a site visit from wildlife personnel expected this week, when officials hope to determine whether the animal is Yellow 2120 or another bear that found an open, dry space beneath a foothill home.
Author note: Last updated January 12, 2026.