Bear tries to score big by hitching ride atop trash truck in Pennsylvania, photos show

A Pennsylvania black bear hitched a ride on a garbage truck making early morning rounds on Wednesday, photos show.

Maybe he got tired of walking. Maybe he enjoys cruising the suburbs. Or maybe he wanted a ride to the landfill.

More likely, the Kidder Township Police suggest, the bear was staging a raid on the garbage truck.

They provided photo evidence of the bear on their Facebook page, very much caught in the act.

“We can only assume it was sick of going for the small, small amount of trash in the garbage pails and went for the big prize,” Officer Vincent Murrow told WNEP.

But the bear failed about as bad as a bandit can. He didn’t get the goods, and worse, sanitation workers turned him over to the cops, hauling him right in front of the station, still clinging to the roof as they pulled up.

“Was the bear questioned on arrival?” a commenter asked.

Another asked who would arraign the bear for his trash crimes.

But instead, police helped the workers free the bear, escorting the truck as it backed up against some trees the bear used to climb off the roof of the truck, and away toward freedom.

“The nerve of him, what a wise guy... cops a free ride... did this bear at least tip the driver?” one commenter asked.

“He has been preparing for this garbage truck high jacking for years,” another claimed.

Still, many others seemed to support the bear.

“He was hitching a ride to the promised land,” a commenter wrote.

“Awww poor big fella is scared and hungry ...give him an hour with the truck,” another commented.

This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 7:44 PM.