( CNN ) -- If you think you 've heard it all , follow this tale of a hungry black bear who went for a ride , literally . Douglas County , Colorado , Sheriff 's deputies early Friday got a call about a honking car and a commotion inside . Perhaps it was teenagers or a thief , they thought as they approached Ralph Story 's 2008 Toyota Corolla . It turns out it was a thief , albeit the furry variety . The deputies ' first clue to something unusual was that the car was 125 feet below its normal parking spot in the driveway of the Storys ' Larkspur home , which sits on five acres . Imagine their further surprise when they turned on their flashlights and got a peek inside . It was a full-grown black bear , also known as ursus americanus . The deputies had earlier received a call from a neighbor . She had heard honking and came up to the Story home , where the family was asleep . `` Our Toyota was making a heck of a racket and was rocking back and forth , '' Story said . The neighbor called deputies shortly after 3 a.m. , according to spokeswoman Michelle Rademacher of the sheriff 's Department in the community 45 miles south of Denver . Story told CNN the bear was probably drawn to a peanut butter sandwich left inside by his 17-year-old son Ben . He said the family did n't realize what was going on until deputies arrived and the neighbor came back and called them . By then the car was no longer in the driveway . Incredulous , Story , his wife and three teen children -- who have lived in Larkspur for 17 years -- rushed outside to see the red Toyota down the hill and near a tree . Somehow , the bear had either opened the unlocked back door or pushed a window down to get inside . Understandably agitated , it bumped into the horn repeatedly and eventually knocked the car 's gear into neutral . The Toyota rolled down the hill . The door added to the bear 's indignity by closing at some point during the ordeal . A sergeant and two deputies who arrived on the scene `` were stymied on how to proceed , '' Story said . They considered a tranquilizer or shooting the bear , whose gender is unknown . `` Public safety is our primary concern , '' Rademacher said . Finally , the officers decided the best outcome for all would be to keep everyone safe and let the bear live to see more adventures . After taking pictures , one of them tied a long rope to a door handle and pulled . After a few moments , Story said , the bear bounded out around 5 a.m. , at least two hours after it had gotten inside . It left a foul-smelling `` present '' on the front seat . The Toyota was trashed , with its air bags , seats and stereo torn to shreds . It 's a total loss . Ben Story said he was scared when the family rushed outside to see the car was gone . `` My dad is going to kill me , '' he thought to himself . `` My car is gone . I did n't lock it . He said it was stolen . '' Rademacher said deputies have enough experience not to be shocked during a day 's work . But this will make for a great memory . Ralph Story admitted the incident was pretty comical . He 's glad the animal got away and no one was hurt . `` There 's a bear in the car . Who are you gon na get mad at ? ''
A bear spends more than two hours in a Colorado car . Comment: The animal trashes the vehicle 's interior . Deputies freed it by tying a rope to the door handle and pulling it .