Surprising intruder breaks into Pennsylvania nursing home and gets into patients' beds
The bizarre encounter at Presbyterian Senior Living at St. Andrew's Village in Indiana, Pennsylvania, began when an employee heard an alarming bang on Tuesday around 11pm.
'I was sitting there at our nurse's station and I heard a big crash,' Charlene Elliott, a lead certified nursing assistant on duty that night, recalled to WPXI.
Assuming the jarring sound was another employee falling, Elliot quickly stood up to help her coworker.
But instead of seeing an aide on the ground, she saw a bear marching down the hall toward her.
The wild animal had leaped through a window, sending shattered glass flying through the hallway. Photos from the scene show claw marks on the windowsill.
Elliot urged residents to immediately shut their doors to prevent the bear from leaving the hallway, but he still managed to cause even more commotion.
During the chaotic 15 minutes the bear roamed the facility, he crawled into bed with two frightened residents - coming face-to-face with one of them, WPXI reported.
'Please do not move, touch him, because he could have mauled him. I mean, one swipe,' Elliot said she advised the patients.
Fiercely defending the nursing home from the potential danger, Elliot said she used a walker to hit the bear and get him away from the people living at the home.
Despite the terror many felt from the baffling intruder's presence, one patient was thrilled to see the bear and wanted to feed it, Elliot told the outlet.
'She's like "Well, go ahead and give it my sandwich!" and I'm like, "No, we can't do that!"' she recalled.
Employees did end up giving the bear an edible incentive to leave the building - luring it outside with Rice Krispies Treats.
Elliot explained she and other staffers also used a walker to nudge the bear out the door.
Once he reached the exit, the bear was seen scurrying off into the night, leaving staff and residents relieved the jaw-dropping ordeal was finally over.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission was able to catch the bear by Thursday morning - using the animal's apparent love for sweets to lure him into a trap.
Officials reportedly used pastries and donuts to capture the bear to bring him to a 'more suitable' location, Lt. Andy Harvey of the PA Game Commission told WPXI.
'Hopefully, there's some food sources around there where it can thrive.'
The commission said it is rare for bears to bust indoors, but evidently not impossible.
In order to prevent bear break-ins, they advised people to secure their garbage so animals cannot get into it.
Presbyterian Senior Living addressed the unusual situation in a statement to the outlet, writing: 'We are incredibly proud of our team's quick thinking and dedication to ensuring the safety of everyone in our community.
'To prevent future wildlife encounters, the game warden safely relocated the bear to a more suitable habitat today and all bird feeders on our campus were removed.
'We appreciate the support of our residents, families, and local authorities in managing this unique situation, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all.'
The young bear, believed to be just one or two years old, has been moved to the Cambria County gamelands, the Indiana Gazette reported.
'We are incredibly proud of our team's quick thinking and dedication to ensuring the safety of everyone in our community,' the nursing home wrote to WPXI on Thursday.
'To prevent future wildlife encounters, the game warden safely relocated the bear to a more suitable habitat today and all bird feeders on our campus were removed.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Hospital begs for help identifying woman who has been in their care for past 100 days
A Manhattan hospital is begging for the public's help in identifying a woman who was admitted more than 100 days ago. On April 12 around 4:45am, a woman believed to be in her late-fifties was sitting at a Harlem bus stop when a bystander dialed 911. It is unclear why an ambulance was called, but she was taken to Mount Sinai in Morningside Heights - where she has remained ever since. Employees have described the mysterious patient, who may go by the name Pam, as shy. In a photo shared by the hospital, she was seen covering her face with a towel. But these surface-level details are all officials have gathered about Pam during her three months at the hospital, and now hospital workers are trying to fill in the gaps. The hospital is asking anyone with information on who she might be to come forward, NBC reported. Pam is 5'8" tall and weighs 170 pounds. Hospital workers believe she was often in the Harlem area and generally wore black and covered her face. She speaks English and has greying hair. The Daily Mail has reached out to Mount Sinai for comment. Anyone with information regarding Pam's identity should contact the hospital's associate director of social work Kelly LaTerra at 646-901-9309. Last month, a California man was found unconscious and was rushed to St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach. He was believed to be in his mid-forties, but just as in Pam's case, little else was known about the patient. A chilling photo released by Dignity Health showed the man lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a ventilator. In October 2024, another California hospital took a similar approach to Mount Sinai in hopes of identifying a seriously ill patient. Staff at the Riverside Community Hospital had done everything they could think of, but could not determine the name of a man who came through the facility's doors a month earlier. They refused to say what was wrong with him or why he was attached to a ventilator, but released a photograph in the hopes that someone can put a name to the face. Identifying John or Jane Doe patients is no easy task, as doctors and other hospital staff members must work to find out who they are without violating their rights. The New York Department of Health has protocols in place specifically for missing children, college students and vulnerable adults. These standards were set in 2018 after 'several instances of a missing adult with Alzheimer's disease who was admitted to a hospital as an unidentified patient and police and family members were unable to locate the individual.' However, the process is not as cut and dry when it is the hospital asking for the public's help instead of the other way around. While hospitals have been known to share images of unknown patients when all else fails, they are not allowed to reveal much about their circumstances.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Top medical body concerned over RFK Jr's reported plans to cut preventive health panel
A top US medical body has expressed 'deep concern' to Robert F Kennedy Jr over news reports that the health secretary plans to overhaul a panel that determines which preventive health measures including cancer screenings should be covered by insurance companies. The letter from the the American Medical Association comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Kennedy plans to overhaul the 40-year old US Preventive Services Task Force because he regards them as too 'woke', according to sources familiar with the matter. During his second term, Donald Trump has frequently raged against organizations and government departments that he considers too liberal – often without any evidence. The US president, and his cabinet members such as Kennedy, have also overseen huge cuts and job losses across the US government. The taskforce is made up of a 16-member panel appointed by health and human services secretaries to serve four-year terms. In addition to cancer screenings, the taskforce issues recommendations for a variety of other screenings including osteoporosis, intimate partner violence, HIV prevention, as well as depression in children. Writing in its letter to Kennedy on Sunday, the AMA defended the panel, saying: 'As you know, USPSTF plays a critical, non-partisan role in guiding physicians' efforts to prevent disease and improve the health of patients by helping to ensure access to evidence-based clinical preventive services.' 'As such, we urge you to retain the previously appointed members of the USPSTF and commit to the long-standing process of regular meetings to ensure their important work can be continued without disruption,' it added. Citing Kennedy's own slogan of 'Making America healthy again,' the AMA went on to say: 'USPSTF members have been selected through an open, public nomination process and are nationally recognized experts in primary care, prevention and evidence-based medicine. They serve on a volunteer basis, dedicating their time to help reduce disease and improve the health of all Americans – a mission well-aligned with the Make America Healthy Again initiative.' According to the Affordable Care Act, public and private insurance companies must cover any services recommended by the Preventive Services Task Force without cost sharing. In a statement to MedPage Today, Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon did not confirm the reports, instead saying: 'No final decision has been made on how the USPSTF can better support HHS' mandate to Make America Healthy Again.' Reports of Kennedy's alleged decision to overhaul the taskforce come after the American Conservative published an essay earlier this month that described the taskforce as advocating for 'leftwing ideological orthodoxy'. It went on to accuse the panel of being 'packed with Biden administration appointees devoted to the ideological capture of medicine', warning that the 'continued occupation of an important advisory body in HHS – one that has the capacity to force private health insurers to cover services and procedures – by leftwing activists would be a grave oversight by the Trump administration'. In response to the essay, 104 health organizations, including the American Medical Association, issued a separate letter to multiple congressional health committees in which they urged the committees to 'protect the integrity' of the taskforce. 'The loss of trustworthiness in the rigorous and nonpartisan work of the Task Force would devastate patients, hospital systems, and payers as misinformation creates barriers to accessing lifesaving and cost effective care,' the organizations said. In June, Kennedy removed all 17 members of a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel of vaccine experts. Writing in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, he accused the committee of having too many conflicts of interest. Kennedy's decision to overhaul the immunization panel was met with widespread criticism from health experts, with the American Public Health Association executive director Georges Benjamin calling the ouster 'a coup'. 'It's not how democracies work. It's not good for the health of the nation,' Benjamin said.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Urgent recall of popular cheeseburgers that can trigger 'life-threatening allergic reaction'
The FDA issued an urgent warning about a midwestern burger and sandwich brand after an undeclared allergen was found in food items sold across three states. Sheehan Brothers Vending, an Ohio-based catering business, recalled six of its staple meals after health officials detected sesame that was not noted on product labels earlier this month. Cheeseburgers, Spicy Chicken Sandwiches, Italian Mini Subs, Pepperoni Pizza Subs, Chili Cheese Coneys and BBQ Riblets with Coleslaw were named in the recall. Affected sandwiches were sold by the family business between July 2 and July 8 in 'micro markets' and vending machines across Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Eastern Indiana. The ready-to-go meals are premade and only need to be reheated in the microwave for less than a minute. All the items were individually wrapped in plastic and labeled with green and white stickers on the front. The FDA classified the recall as a Class I health risk, which is the most dire type of recall. 'People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to sesame run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product,' the agency wrote. 'Individuals exhibiting signs or symptoms of foodborne illness or allergies should contact a physician immediately.' Fortunately, no illnesses have been reported in connection to the undeclared allergen. Anyone with a sesame allergy who bought the contaminated products should throw them out and contact Sheehan Brothers Vending for a replacement pack. The family-owned business specializes in meeting the catering and vending needs of of office buildings. According to the company website, its vending machines 'carry homemade and name-brand sandwiches, salads, entrees, snacks, and beverages that offer healthy alternatives for consumers.' Sheehan Brothers also installs and runs micro markets, which are self-service shops and cafes in business and public spaces. 'We continually innovate to provide the most popular snacks, beverages, and homemade food items daily,' the company, founded in 1956, wrote. About 33 million people living in the US have a food allergy, according to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). Sesame is the ninth most common food allergy in the United States, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology reported. 'When a person with an allergy to sesame is exposed to sesame, proteins in the sesame bind to specific IgE antibodies made by the person's immune system,' FARE wrote. 'This triggers the person's immune defenses, leading to reaction symptoms that can be mild or very severe.' The FDA recognizes nine major allergens: milk, eggs, sesame, fish, tree nuts, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.
