A disabled widower in Crystal, New Mexico, was mauled to death by a bear that broke into his home while his stepson was briefly out running an errand, in what is reported to be the first fatal bear attack in the state since 2001. Benjamin Halona, 67, had limited mobility after a recent seizure and was recovering from the loss of his wife, who had died of illness earlier in the year, when the attack occurred on 20 August. His family say he was too frail to fend off the animal and had not provoked it.

His stepson, Casey, returned from the post office to find the door open despite having locked it, and on discovering the bear still inside barricaded himself in a closet and called emergency services and relatives. A relative arriving at the scene scared the bear off by honking her car horn; police later shot and tracked the animal before it was killed. Days after the attack, Navajo Police warned of a rise in bear sightings, attributing it to drought reducing natural food sources and bears preparing for hibernation, and urged residents to secure doors, bins and animal feed. Halona, remembered locally as a former wildland firefighter and tamale seller, was buried in Crystal on 29 August following a funeral in Fort Defiance, Arizona.