500-pound bear returns to Altadena neighborhood months after taking up residence under home

Altadena residents say the 500-pound bear that made headlines last year after taking up residence under a home has apparently returned to the neighborhood in search of another shelter. 

The bear, known fondly by neighbors as "Beary," or more officially as Yellow Tag 2120, has recently been seen breaking into at least one home in the area where he roosted for multiple weeks in the last two years. 

"He's big! He's four, five hundred pounds, I think," said Todd Bayer, whose security cameras captured the moments the black bear tried to enter his neighbor's house over Labor Day Weekend. 

He and his neighbor both boarded up their crawlspaces, but the bear came back last week, ripped open one of the screens, and tore down a fence, Bayer said. 

"It's a frightening thing to be near an animal that large," Bayer said. "When you see their claws, and you run the risk of surprising them."

In 2025, California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers were able to capture and tag the bear before relocating it to the wilderness. The steps were taken after the huge bear broke into one home's crawlspace and ruptured a gas line.

The bear returned again in late 2025, again burrowing underneath a home in Altadena for weeks before members of the "BEAR League" arrived to chase him away with paint guns. 

People living in the area say that wildlife visits aren't out of the ordinary, with nearly everyone having their own encounters. Bayer says that after living there for three decades, he can confidently say that those run-ins have increased since the Eaton Fire last January. 

"We're sort of in their territory, but we can't really coexist this way," he said. "We need to find a solution."

CDFW officials say that they're aware that Yellow Tag 2120, now 9 years old, has returned to the neighborhood, but they have no intention of relocating him since they haven't heard of any aggressive behavior.