A waste collection crew released a bear that locals call “Chungus” from the back of a garbage truck after a worker said he realized the animal was inside, according to video ABC News posted with an Oct. 2, 2026 date on screen. The video does not say where it happened, and The Auto Wire has not been able to confirm the city, the state, or the hauler.
The clip is credited on screen to Jerry Herrod via Storyful. It shows a large dark bear on the pavement next to the rear of a green garbage truck, with tall evergreens behind it and a small restroom building in the background. ABC News captioned the video with a worker’s account that he realized the bear was in the vehicle, and that account is the only explanation of how the animal got there. The caption does not name the worker or the company.
Several basic facts are unconfirmed: where the truck was working, when the bear was released, whether the bear was hurt, and whether the crew called a wildlife agency. The Auto Wire reached no agency or hauler statement and has not verified any of those details. This post will be updated if one is released.
The bear’s name is the only detail the caption attributes to locals, and nothing in the video establishes whether the animal had been seen around town before. What the footage does show is a bear out of the truck and on the ground.
@abcnews A bear known by locals as "Chungus" was released from the back of a garbage truck after a worker says he realized the animal was in the vehicle.
♬ original sound – ABC News
Should towns where bears are a regular presence require bear-resistant dumpsters and carts, even if it raises what residents pay for trash pickup?