A home nurse found quite a surprise waiting for her inside her minivan after visiting a patient Tuesday in northeast Georgia.

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Carrie Watts said a black bear climbed into her vehicle after she left her windows down to combat the heat while parked along Lake Burton in Rabun County, according to WSB-TV.

The black bear smelled her lunch on the van’s seat and climbed in through a window to get it, WSB reported.

The bear ate the lunch, which Watts said consisted of a sandwich, chips and a cookie.

She also said the animal ripped up her children’s car seats and demolished a pile of paper work.

Watts said she tried to scare the bear out of the car with her car alarm and even banged on pots and pans, but the noise didn’t work.

The bear eventually climbed out on its own and lumbered off.

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Travelers walk around the baggage claim in the South Terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Atlanta is among the airports where the FAA will reduce flights due to the shutdown, and airports are facing a shortage of air traffic controllers. 
(Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez