Officials reported that a police patrol car has hit a mountain lion on a suburban highway in San Mateo.
The animal’s condition remains uncertain as it was gone when the police officer went out of the car to check, according to the San Mateo police, San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The accident was reported by a San Mateo police officer at about 10:25 in the afternoon on Saturday on Highway 92 close to the Hillsdale Boulevard exit. The area has a combination of open spaces and suburban residences.
The department news release said the police were traveling east while the mountain lion was bounding across the traffic lanes. It came from the left to the right.
Police said the driver attempted to prevent striking the animal. The patrol vehicle was left damaged and “patches of animal hair” were found in it. The police officer, meanwhile, was safe.
This year, several mountain lion sightings were reported in the Bay Area. These animals thrive throughout much of the state.
In Sonoma County last month, a mountain lion was seen close to an elementary school, triggering a lockdown on many campuses as authorities caught and sedated the animal.
Daly City residents were also told to take caution in September following a mountain lion sighting in the city streets.
