Bear captured on video breaking into car in New Hampshire

Residents of Thornton, N.H., can now rest easy knowing the culprit behind a series of vehicle break-ins has been identified — as a bear.

The black bear has been spotted in town over the past few weeks just as residents began reporting to police that their vehicles had been broken into, Thornton Police Chief Ken Miller said. The bear has primarily been seen on Mad River Road and Upper Mad River Road.

Police believe the bear is looking for food, and they are urging residents to remove food items from their vehicles and not to leave trash outside. In several instances, the bear has climbed into a vehicle’s trunk or the bed of a truck to try and get a bite to eat.

Miller said the most recent sighting came Thursday morning, and officers found a bear print in a vehicle.

“We’ve had it where they’ve gotten into vehicles, but not quite like this,” Miller said. “This is unique.”

Thornton police have notified New Hampshire Fish and Game, Miller said.

In Massachusetts, a bear nicknamed “Boo Boo” has been spotted wandering the South Shore in recent weeks, and was seen in Plympton Thursday, police said.