It was 5:45 in the morning on June 15, 2026 when a large black bear, with a light brown snout, pushed through the screen of Kevin Velasco-Wood’s bedroom window in Crestline, California, and entered the room where the 19-year-old was sleeping. Kevin is autistic and nonverbal: he was never able to recount what happened inside that room.
It was his mother, Darah Wood, who found him. She heard the noise, crossed the hallway, and saw her son with his face covered in blood: split lip, an open wound on his nose, and deep scratches on his stomach. The bear was still inside. Darah grabbed a pot and banged it loudly until the animal left. The window frame had been completely bent. Kevin was hospitalized and discharged with stitches.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been investigating ever since. Officer Cort Klopping confirmed that his team collected DNA samples at the scene and from the victim’s wounds to identify the bear. Neighbors in the area, which borders the San Bernardino National Forest, report that this year the bears have become noticeably bolder: one was filmed by a security camera calmly eating from a feeder in front of a house. If authorities manage to capture the animal and it is declared a public danger, it will be euthanized.
