A 550-pound black bear makes home in Altadena

"Are you the bear guy?" asked the neighbor who walked up Kenneth Johnson’s driveway.

- SANDRA MCDONALD

A BLACK BEAR emerges from the crawl space underneath Altadena resident Kenneth Johnson's home.

Johnson said yes. A 550-pound black bear was still wedged in the crawl space under his Altadena home, as it had been since Sunday, giving him his 15 minutes of unwanted fame.

The homeowner, who lives across from the canyon where the devastating Eaton fire sparked in January, is no stranger to bears. Residents say Altadena’s bear problem has been escalating for years. Johnson shared video from a few years earlier of a large orange-colored bear crossing his driveway, and recalled looking out his window one day only to see a bear’s head resting there.

While speaking with The Times in his front yard on Wednesday, Johnson noticed a fresh pile of bear scat on the lawn next door. He was nervous to let more people onto the property because he'd been told he could be sued if the bear attacked anyone.

Bears have long been frightening residents and enjoying their trash while state wildlife experts seemingly struggle to find effective solutions, said Johnson and his neighbor Mel Peters.

The homeowner, who described himself only as “rattled,” had prepared a trash can and sandbags to place in front of the entrance once the bear left. He’d done nothing but talk to the media and prepare since his Ring camera captured the bear moving in, he said.