Man and Bear Startle Each Other on Patio

A man enjoying a relaxing day on the patio of his Asheville, North Carolina, home got quite the shock from an unexpected visitor.

David Oppenheimer was relaxing outside on his lounge chair when he heard an alarm sound from his motion detector.

"I looked behind me and didn't see anything," Oppenheimer told CNN, "But about a minute later, the bear came along and was practically in front of me."

Doorbell video captured the moment Oppenheimer spots the bear and the bear spots Oppenheimer – both appearing equally startled by the other.

You see the man’s face freeze in shock as he grips a pillow. The bear retreats a few seconds later.

"My eyeballs certainly got a stretch," Oppenheimer joked.

Oppenheimer says he’s seen the bear a couple times before as it’s inspected his trash cans and grabbed some seed from his “bear-proof” bird feeder.

"The bears here are very peaceful," Oppenheimer told CNN. "This one just caught me off guard."