07/09/2025
A while back, we shared the story of a squirrel caper that ended on a cliffhanger. We're back. Wow, that commercial break seemed like forever. It's the second part of our mini true crime squirrel episode, “Paws on the Pedal.” It's a long one. Good luck. P.S. For part one, see the link in the comments.
Narrator: Welcome back. When last we left off, what began as a charming encounter with a squirrel at the Grand Canyon turned into a bizarre tale of obsession, theft, and a high-stakes pursuit. Also snacks.
Narrator: As the sun set over the canyon, our tired family returned from the trail unaware that their missing items, a tub of trail mix, snack bars, a souvenir t-shirt, and a set of rental car keys, were just the beginning of their squirrelly saga. As the family settled in, investigators were hot on the trail. And not just because the heat index outside was nearing 100.
Narrator: Surveillance footage from the visitor center parking lot proved invaluable. At 2:17 p.m., the family’s rental car, a silver SUV, was seen driving out of the lot in a lurching manner. Behind the wheel? Well, no one, it seemed.
After taking a second look, a small, furry figure could be seen clutching a snack bar while the other paw gripped the tip of the steering wheel like there was no tomorrow.
Ranger Smith: It looked like a squirrel. We’ve seen squirrels get bold, but this was next level. The car keys? Driving without a license? Not using a blinker? This was not just a simple snack grab.
Ken: I couldn’t believe it. The squirrel was in the car! I mean, how does a squirrel even start a car?
Narrator: Or open a car door, for that matter? But there was more. A trail of peanut crumbs. Oh, those pesky peanut crumbs. They led investigators from the parking lot to a nearby tree, where they quickly uncovered a stash of goods: the missing trail mix container, torn snack bar wrappers, four park unigrids, a SpongeBob f***y pack, and a wrinkled “Grand Canyon is gorges” t-shirt, fashioned into a makeshift trophy case.
Barbara: That t-shirt was my favorite! Seeing it like that…it felt personal. The f***y pack wasn’t ours.
Narrator: But where was the car? The squirrel was on the move. A call came in that same afternoon at 2:45 p.m. about a silver SUV with no visible driver blaring H O T T O G O heading toward the park visitor center.
Ranger Daniels: This was our rodent. We ran to the parking lot. In the end, it was kinda anticlimactic. The squirrel was apprehended while attempting to parallel park.
Narrator: Watching the halting back-and-forth movements of the vehicle as the squirrel struggled to get close to the curb while staying within the lines was agonizingly painful. Was the squirrel taunting authorities or just really bad at parking?
Ranger Daniels: Once the vehicle came to a complete stop, we secured the vehicle, and it was time to get some answers. We sat the squirrel down, well, as much as you can sit a squirrel down. It just stared at us, chirping like it was mocking the whole operation. This wasn’t its first rodeo.
Narrator: Meanwhile, upon inspecting the rental car, its interior was found littered with multiple granola crumbs and claw marks.
Experts speculated the squirrel may have accidentally triggered the key fob, setting the car in motion. It may have also picked up other squirrels during its short joyride garnering a 2-star car-lift rating. But how could it have even come to this? The chase, not the rating.
Dr. Joan Sciuridae, Wildlife Behaviorist: Squirrels are clever, but this one? A mastermind. After getting a taste of human food, it likely saw the trail mix and was willing to stop at nothing, road signs included, to secure it. It was driven, pun intended, to get those snacks. Also, the Grand Canyon t-shirt.
Narrator: A week has now passed, and the rental car has been returned, though the interior needed a deep clean, and good luck with that deposit. The t-shirt, however, was a total loss. Another one was purchased from the gift shop in a two-for-$20 deal.
As for the squirrel, its license has been suspended and it was relocated to a remote part of the park, far from any trail mix temptations. It hasn’t been seen since, well, oh, there it is…chirping for food at the main trailhead.
Barbara: I’ll never look at squirrels the same way. I thought I was being kind by sharing a snack, but I now know not to feed them on the trail. Also, the whole driving a car thing. That’s nuts.
Narrator: The Grand Canyon remains a breathtaking wonder, but for one family, it’s a reminder that feeding wild animals is a slippery slope that can lead to cuts, scrapes, car theft, and more.
Coming up next week, a raccoon pilfers dumpster and impersonates a hiker causing chaos at Shenandoah. Stay tuned for "Trash Bandit: Stolen Garbage, Stolen Identity."
Image: A brown rock squirrel looks at the camera with its paws in front of its mouth at Grand Canyon National Park.
