A group of roommates had to use quick thinking to scare off a bear trying to get into their Lake Tahoe, California, home.

One of Church’s roommates holds on tightly to the door handle to prevent the bear from prying the sliding door open. She also makes loud noises to scare the bear during his tug-of-war with the creature over the door.

“Bearglaries in Tahoe 🤤,” Church captioned the clip on Instagram.

Church toldStoryfulthat one of her roommates had found the bear rummaging through their refrigerator when she had entered the house. The roommate’s arrival scared the animal outside, but the curious critter didn’t stay away for long. Church added that Bear returned and tried to get inside the house again through the sliding glass door, which Church captured on camera.

After 15 minutes of loitering outside, the bear moved on and walked away from the house.

This intense animal encounter comes after a black bearbroke into a Connecticut home in Octoberand stole a frozen lasagna from the residence’s refrigerator.

The Ring security camera of Barkhamsted homeowner Helena Richardson captured footage of the break-in.

In the footage, the bear roams around the house before arriving at the kitchen, where the animal takes the lasagna out of the refrigerator and then uses the open fridge drawer to escape through the kitchen window.

A wild bear outside a home in Lake Tahoe, California.@Maddieechurch via Storyful

Bear tries to get into California home

@Maddieechurch via Storyful

In August, Steve Searles, a self-taught bear expert and the subject of Animal Planet’s reality showThe Bear Whisperer,told PEOPLEwhat to do if you encounter a bearin the wild or within your home.

Searles recommends making “a loud noise” and holding your “hands above your head” if you come across a bear and added that you should never run away from one.

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“It can make them want to chase you and pursue you,” he said.

Searles also noted that you shouldn’t approach the animals, try to feed them, or pick up their cubs.

source: people.com