Cheetos-loving javelina gets trapped in car before knocking it into neutral in Arizona

A midnight snack run for a javelina turned out to be a cheesy mess, Arizona police said.

Someone left a bag of Cheetos behind in their Subaru wagon in Cornville on Wednesday, April 6, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said.

A hungry javelina broke into the vehicle and licked the bag clean.

“The hatch back was left open during the night and the javelina jumped inside attempting to eat a bag of Cheetos,” deputies said April 8 on Facebook. “Can you blame him, who doesn’t love a midnight Cheeto snack?”

The animal’s less-than-graceful entrance shook the car and closed the hatch. Trapped inside, the javelina tried to get out and tore off a part of the dashboard and the passenger door.

Its attempt to break free knocked the car into neutral, sending it rolling down the driveway. The car crossed the street and crashed into trees, deputies said.

“No one was hurt during this escapade, including the animal,” officials said. “The deputy safely opened the hatch allowing the javelina to carefully jump out and run off back into the wilderness.”

It’s not clear if the javelina’s hooves were stained orange from munching on Cheetos.

Deputies said the late-night food run is a reminder to everyone in the Southwest to avoid feeding javelinas. It can pull them into neighborhoods and make them more comfortable near people.

Javelinas can weigh up to 60 pounds and typically eat cacti and other plants.

Cornville is about 20 miles southwest of popular tourist destination Sedona.

This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 12:48 PM with the headline "Cheetos-loving javelina gets trapped in car before knocking it into neutral in Arizona."