Bear tears up car in Collier County

Reporter: Jolena Esperto
Published: Updated:
Bear tears up car
Credit: WINK News

A WINK News viewer from Collier County sent a video of the damage after a bear destroyed their Dodge Durango.

The bear shredded the inside of the Dodge Durango into pieces.

The incident happened in the driveway of a home in Collier County early Friday morning.

When Vanessa Zamarippa found her vehicle in destroyed condition, she was at a loss for words. Now, her car is a total loss.

Zamarippa said she always cared for her white Dodge Durango and kept it spotless for the past seven years.

“Everybody that saw it was speechless. I just don’t understand. I don’t get it,” said Zamarippa.

Zamarippa said she had seen bears in her yard at night rummaging through the trash.

She said the proof is the claw marks on the dashboard, bite marks and dropping left behind in the passenger seat.

“I was speechless. I started crying. There’s a lot of bears out here,” said Zamarippa. “So, this is what happened to our car. The bear totaled it completely. So, we’re devastated. We didn’t know what we were going to do.”

This all happened at 3 a.m. Friday morning while Zamarippa and her family were asleep.

She now has a rental car and is waiting for the insurance company.

“I loved my car. Of course, it was paid off. We didn’t have any payments,” said Zamarippa. “We didn’t know you have to start all over, so we have to figure out how to close the doors because they don’t close to see. Maybe the bear might come back.”

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.