Surveillance video shows the animal leaping the front counter before wandering inside for several minutes.
MARKLEYSBURG, PA. — An 11-year-old boy ran into a Family Dollar in Fayette County with a black bear on his heels, setting off a chaotic scene captured on surveillance video earlier this week in the borough near the Maryland line. The boy and a cashier scrambled to safety as the bear pushed through the doors and moved past the front registers.
The sudden chase — recorded at the Family Dollar along Route 40 in Markleysburg — drew attention across Pennsylvania after the video showed the bear clearing the counter where the child had been seconds earlier. Wildlife officials say black bears are actively searching for food at this time of year, a behavior that can bring them into developed areas and, in rare cases, inside stores. No injuries were reported, and authorities have not announced the bear’s capture. The exact time of the encounter has not been released, but the incident became public on Nov. 17 and has been reviewed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
According to the boy, identified by family as Cole Frazee, he stepped outside to check on his father during a brief stop at the store when he noticed the bear staring at him in the parking lot. “I was like, I’m probably going to get eaten by a bear,” Frazee said in an interview. When the animal began to run toward him, he turned and sprinted back inside, yelling as he weaved through the aisles. A lone cashier helped him climb onto the front counter for a better view of where the bear had gone. When the animal turned toward the back of the store, the two bolted through the entrance and into a car, slamming the doors as the bear returned to the front.
Store cameras captured the moment the bear lunged over the counter the boy had just abandoned, then paced around displays and shelving. The animal remained inside for roughly 10 minutes before finding its way out. Shoppers arriving afterward described a mess of shifted merchandise and startled employees but no major damage to fixtures. A customer who lives nearby said wildlife sightings are part of life in the mountains but admitted seeing a bear leap a counter on camera was “something else.” Video clips from inside the store spread widely on social media and local newscasts by Monday evening, with viewers remarking on how close the bear came to the child and how quickly he reacted.
Officials with the Pennsylvania Game Commission said bears search aggressively for calories in late fall as they prepare for the cold months, and food odors can draw them into small towns along forested corridors. Adult black bears in the region can exceed 300 pounds, though the bear in the video has not been officially weighed or identified. Officers received reports about the store incident and continue to gather information from witnesses and employees. The commission did not report any bites or scratches, and there were no ambulance transports from the scene. It is not known whether the bear was tagged or collared, and officials have not said if it was later located. Markleysburg police and Fayette County 911 logs for the area reflected calls about a loose bear that same day, according to residents interviewed near the store.
Markleysburg sits along the National Pike in the Laurel Highlands, a region where bear sightings rise in the fall as hunters, hikers and motorists share space with wildlife. In recent years, state officers have fielded seasonal calls about bears tipping trash cans, investigating bird feeders and wandering through drive-thrus in nearby mountain towns. While most black bears avoid people, they can become conditioned to human food and trash, which increases the odds of risky encounters at dumpsters and storefronts. Family Dollar employees told neighbors they had seen bears behind the building near the loading area in past seasons, but none remembered one pushing inside through the main doors.
After the store cleared, staff contacted supervisors and began reviewing the footage for insurance and safety reports. The Game Commission said it typically evaluates whether an animal’s behavior suggests it is food-conditioned or poses a continuing risk in a specific location. Depending on findings, officers can set culvert traps, use noise deterrents or increase patrols. As of Wednesday, officials had not announced any trapping operations at the Markleysburg site or any necropsy or lab work tied to the animal. The agency said its officers would continue to respond to calls in the area and coordinate with local police on any future sightings. No citations or enforcement actions connected to the store’s handling of refuse have been made public.
Outside the store on Tuesday, a few residents stopped to look at the entrance doors and point out where the animal squeezed through behind the child. “I think we live in a rural area and sometimes bears are going to come in,” said Darlene Lint, who shops along the highway. Another neighbor said he checked his porch before stepping out that morning and planned to keep pets inside after dark. A Family Dollar cashier who asked not to be named said she was proud of the child’s quick thinking and credited a clear path to the door for their escape. “He took a left and the bear went straight,” she said, recalling how the two sprinted out once the aisles opened up.
As of Thursday afternoon, the store was open and the Pennsylvania Game Commission had not issued a specific advisory beyond its seasonal reminders about bear activity. Investigators are still piecing together a full timeline from camera footage and witness interviews. No injuries have been reported, and officials have not said whether the bear has been seen again in the borough. Further updates are expected if officers identify the animal or schedule any capture efforts.
Author note: Last updated November 20, 2025.