They Claimed a Bear Destroyed Their Luxury Cars – You Won’t Believe What the Police Found

Four residents from the Los Angeles area, California, were arrested this week after attempting an insurance scam. The four claimed that a bear broke into their vehicles, but it was actually a person in a costume. They received hundreds of thousands of dollars from three insurance companies, according to an investigation by the California Department of Insurance.

The suspects - Ruben Tamrazian, 26; Ararat Chirkinian, 39; Aha Moradkhanian, 32; and Alfie Zuckerman, 39 - claimed last January that a bear broke into their car – a 2010 Rolls-Royce luxury car, and caused damage while it was parked at Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains area – known for its large population of black bears.

The costume found at the suspects' home. Photo: CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE

The suspects even provided their insurance company with video footage of the event. The video shows a furry figure entering through the side door of the car, climbing around the back seat, and crawling out, leaving scratch marks on the leather seats and door.

Officials said, "After further examination of the video, the investigation determined that the bear was actually a person in a bear costume."

The detectives investigating the incident also discovered two additional claims connected to the same suspects, from the same date and place, but involving different cars: a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350.

In these cases as well, the suspects provided video footage of the allegedly occurring events, but here the authorities began to suspect. The Insurance Fraud Department requested a biologist from the California Department of Wildlife to examine the three bear videos, and they also believed it was clearly a person in a bear suit. The detectives executed a search warrant and found the bear costume at the suspects' home.

The fur of the costume is light brown. The California Wildlife Department claims that black bears are the only wild bears in the state.

The District Attorney's Office announced to the media that the case is currently under review. If they decide to file charges against the suspects, a trial date will be set.