Black Bear ‘Runs After’ 11-Year-Old Boy, Chasing Him into Pennsylvania Dollar Store

A quick trip to a Pennsylvania dollar store turned terrifying for 11-year-old Cole Frazee when he unexpectedly came face to face with a black bear.

Cole was shopping with his father at a Family Dollar in Markleysburg, Pa., when he briefly stepped outside and suddenly found himself staring at the animal, he told CBS News Pittsburgh. In that instant, his thoughts went straight to survival.

“I’m probably going to be eaten by a bear,” he remembered thinking, adding that he now feels lucky just to be alive.

According to Cole, the bear began to run toward him — and instinct kicked in. He spun around and sprinted back into the store.

“And when it runs after me, I turn around, I run in the store. I’m, like, screaming and stuff,” he told the outlet, estimating that the bear got to within about a foot and a half of him.

Once Cole dashed back into the Markleysburg store, the black bear followed him inside. What happened next came down to a split-second choice.

“I took a left,” he recalled, “and the bear went straight.”

Heart pounding, Cole raced up and down the aisles trying to stay out of the animal’s path. Eventually, he and a cashier climbed up onto the counter to get a clear view and figure out where the bear had gone.

When they saw the animal moving toward the back of the Family Dollar and away from the front counter, they seized their chance.

“She grabbed her coat, the keys, and the phone, and we ran out of there,” Cole told CBS News. “When we ran out of there, we all got in the car.”

Security footage later showed the bear, now alone in the store, wandering toward the counter where Cole and the employee had just been. Surveillance video obtained by CBS News Pittsburgh captured the animal climbing behind the counter and roaming around, rummaging and exploring, for about 10 minutes before finally leaving the building.

Cole described the ordeal as “one in a million” and said he felt “kinda relieved” once it was all over.

“It was definitely a crazy experience,” he said.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission notes that while most bears will typically run away from people, some that live close to humans can become used to their presence and seem unfazed. The agency explains that bears are more active eaters in the fall and may show up in neighborhoods or other populated areas when they find easy food sources.

According to the commission’s guidance, items like bird feeders, garbage cans and backyard grills can draw bears in. Once they learn to rely on human-provided food, they can become nuisance animals, cause property damage and increase the chances of close human-bear encounters. Removing or securing these attractants, the agency advises, is one of the most effective ways to prevent problems.