Danville man attacked by bear still recovering

Aug 14, 2023

DANVILLE, Pa. — John and Lori Swartz are a little more cautious these days after John Swartz was attacked by a bear in his garage last week.

On a typical Thursday night, the Swartzs were relaxing and watching “Generation Gap” when John Swartz remembered he had turned on the hose to fill up an inflatable pool almost an hour earlier, he said.

“I thought ‘I need to go shut the faucet off,’” John Swartz said. “I went out the front door and the motion light was on, but that wasn’t uncommon.”

Thinking his cats or another small animal triggered the motion sensor, John Swartz said he continued on into the garage, where he would remain for only seven seconds, as shown by video footage reviewed later on, he said.

“I entered the garage and I knew where the faucet was at, even though dark as it was,” John Swartz said. “I got ahold of the faucet and heard a growl and felt thrashing.”

Only a second or two went by before John Swartz realized what was happening. He said he was quickly knocked against shelving units and, as he turned to get out, the bear bit his head.

Holding the wound, John Swartz thought he continued running on the sidewalk back to his house, but, after seeing video footage a few days later, said he had actually tumbled over the bear and fell down on the way.

“I don’t even recall that,” he said. “Thankfully, the bear didn’t retaliate when I tripped over him.”

Lori Swartz said she remembers hearing the worst scream of her life before her husband ran into the house bleeding. “I called 911 and they came and took John to the trauma unit,” she said. “The Game Commission came and set a trap and the state police were here, too.”

Thinking back on that day, John Swartz said he was stunned. “But everything is healing,” he said. “It’s a superficial wound in the front, but is pretty deep in the center on the top of my skull.”

His wife said the wounds were scabbing over and healing. Lori Swartz said she was grateful it was a bite and not claws.

In the week since, the Swartzs have received a lot of attention they weren’t expecting, they said. Aside from local media, the attack has caught the attention of the Great Britain Daily Mail, ABC World News and FOX National News, according to Lori Swartz.

“We are just plain people and aren’t used to this attention,” she said.

A week later, John Swartz said he is a little wary heading outside, especially at night. “We look really well before we go outside now,” he said. “Especially if it’s around 8:30 or later, I’m cautious.”

Copyright 2023 Tribune Content Agency.

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