Video Shows The Terrifying Moment A Brown Bear Charges Hiker In Los Angeles

It’s bear season!

A video that has gone viral on social media shows the moment a hiker in Los Angeles encountered a massive brown bear.

The video captures the moment the hiker is approached by the bear, and instead of turning back, the hiker stands still and begins ringing bells.

Take a look:

A close encounter with an American black bear on a mountain trail in Los Angeles. It was a false charge. No injuries.pic.twitter.com/9UWTmEAOjt

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) April 20, 2026

The New York Post provided further context of the hiker’s encounter with the bear:

A terrifying video shows a large brown bear charging toward a Southern California hiker in Angeles National Forest, as the man makes the unusual decision to move toward the animal.

In the video, a man dressed in hiking gear and wearing a hat is seen walking toward the bear—not away—and shaking bells in an apparent attempt to scare it off.

Instead, the agitated animal appears to charge toward him before the video cuts off. The close, face-to-face encounter—just feet apart—was captured by another hiker nearby.

“I was thinking this guy is crazy, and I hope nothing happens to him,” Erin Chiu, who recorded the video, told NBCLA.

“I’m not sure what was going through his mind, to be honest, because the last thing you would expect is for someone to actually walk toward a bear. At that point, I was a little concerned for his safety.”

Chiu told the network he hikes the same trail at least three times a week for about 10 miles each time and had never seen a bear there until now.

The hiker was eventually able to slowly back away as the bear moved toward him. Experts say the most important thing to remember if you encounter a bear is simple: do not run.

Bears have been making their presence known all across the United States.

In Albany, New York, a bear that made its way into a neighborhood was tranquilized after being spotted in a tree by residents:

Video shows a sedated bear falling into a net held by rescuers after it climbed into a tree, which caused officials to close nearby streets as a precaution pic.twitter.com/N9sGVfddFn

— KOLO8 (@KOLO8) April 22, 2026

USA Today reported over the weekend that two U.S. Army soldiers were attacked by a bear in Alaska:

wo soldiers attacked by a bear in Alaska on Thursday were treated for serious injuries and have been discharged from an Anchorage hospital, according to the Army as reported in the Army Times.

The unidentified soldiers from the U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division were participating in a land navigation training event in a remote location at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s Arctic Valley training area when the attack occurred, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

“Having bear spray with them in the field may have saved their lives,” Alaska Department of Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Cyndi Wardlow said in a press release.

It was initially thought to be a brown bear, but samples collected during the initial investigation are being processed to positively identify the species and gender of the attacking bear.

If you live in a state that has bears, make sure to keep that bear spray handy!