Jogger Survives Terrifying Bear Attack in Tuolumne County

A routine jog turned into a life-or-death struggle for Tuolumne County resident Quanah Ottaway, who found himself face-to-face with a bear while running near his home. The terrifying encounter happened on Monday morning when Ottaway, who often jogs in the area, was suddenly charged by a bear protecting her cub.

“I just didn’t want to die, I just really didn’t want to die,” Ottaway recalled to KCRA.

As he jogged down a familiar path, Ottaway spotted a bear cub ahead of him—quickly followed by the mother bear, who charged at him without hesitation. The bear leapt at Ottaway, knocking him down into a ravine and scratching his back.

Thinking quickly, Ottaway grabbed a nearby stick and struck the bear in the face, momentarily disorienting her. “I hit her in the face with the stick, just like one good time and it knocked her head to the side. And then that gave me the split second to just sprint,” he said.

In a desperate bid for survival, Ottaway sprinted with the bear just feet behind him. “People say you can’t run from bears [they run] like 30 to 35 miles an hour, but I sprinted that whole way with her on my tail,” he recalled.

Ottaway managed to climb onto the roof of a nearby SUV, where he yelled for help. Neighbors quickly responded, making loud noises and throwing a log at the bear to scare it off.

Despite the attack, Ottaway’s injuries were not life-threatening. He treated a deep wound on his leg by tying his shirt around it while on top of the SUV. The attack left him with wounds that ironically partially cover a bear tattoo he got years ago.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has set up bear traps in the area and plans to euthanize the bear if it’s confirmed to be the one involved in the attack.

This close call comes a year after California recorded its first known fatal bear attack on a human, when a 71-year-old woman was killed in her Downieville home.