Benjamin Halona was mauled to death at about 1 p.m. on Thursday, August 20, 2026, after a bear forced its way into his house in the Navajo Nation community of Crystal, New Mexico, according to the Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife. Speaking to The Guardian, his relatives said they want him remembered for his career as a firefighter rather than for the violence that ended his life.
Halona, 67, was by himself when the animal got inside. His stepson, Casey, had left for the post office.
There was little he could do. His wife, Bernadine, had died of an illness in February, leaving him widowed, and a seizure had left him dependent on a walker and a wheelchair as he recovered. He could not get away from the bear.
A Stepson Hid and Called for Help
Casey came back to a door standing ajar. Then he spotted the bear inside.
He shut himself into a nearby room and used his cellphone to call for help. He also phoned two relatives: Gloria Halona, his stepfather’s sister, and her daughter, Samantha Vandever, his stepfather’s niece. Gloria Halona said he shoved a dresser and other heavy objects against his bedroom door before hiding in a crawlspace in his closet.
Both women drove out to the home. The bear was outside by the time they pulled up, and they leaned on the car horn until it ran off. What they found indoors, Vandever said, was a “horrific scene.”
Officers who responded shot and wounded the bear, which fled into nearby woods, the wildlife department said in a statement issued August 24. Responders later located and neutralized the animal. Halona, the department confirmed, died of the injuries he suffered in the attack. The Navajo Police Department’s Window Rock district, the wildlife department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations all worked the scene. In its own statement, the police department said the bear “was located and neutralized. Unfortunately, the male victim succumbed due to injuries,” and urged the public to stay away from potentially dangerous wildlife and to report any sighting to the nearest district.
Family Remembers His Firefighting Career
“He was a really strong person. And, even though he didn’t have a lot, he was happy,” his sister, Gloria, told The Guardian.
Away from the fire service, Halona sold tamales for a living. Casey is a son of his late wife, Bernadine.
Vandever said her uncle had endured a great deal in his lifetime and that the family is devastated by what happened to him. She described the aftermath they walked into as overwhelming.
The family said funeral services were held August 29, and that he leaves behind a great-grandchild, 15 grandchildren, five stepchildren, four children and two siblings. In a letter published in the Navajo Times, relatives thanked the Crystal community for the prayers, calls, meals, flowers and donations that carried them through.
Officials Cite Drought Conditions
The Navajo Nation had already reported bear sightings climbing across its communities when the attack happened. The likelihood of conflict with people rises during dry spells and prolonged drought, the wildlife department said in its August statement, because bears whose usual food has thinned out go looking for it elsewhere. New Mexico’s state wildlife agency made the same point a day earlier, noting that low moisture and high temperatures had damaged the nuts, seeds, berries and fruits bears rely on.
Most encounters between people and bears come down to food, the wildlife department has said, and it has cautioned residents to treat black bears as unpredictable animals that can turn dangerous without warning. Attacks like this one are unusual, the department said, but any bear may act defensively or aggressively, and people should keep their distance — no feeding, no following, and no close-range photographs.
The department advised anyone who comes across a bear not to give in to the urge to run. Its guidance is to keep the animal in sight, back away slowly and leave it an unobstructed path out. Should the bear close the gap, residents should hold their ground, make themselves look as big as possible and make as much noise as they can. Children should stay close and dogs should be leashed, with no dog permitted to chase or confront a bear. If a black bear does attack, the department said, fight it off with whatever is within reach.
After the attack, the wildlife department offered condolences to Halona’s family, his loved ones and the Crystal community.
The problem stretches well past the Navajo Nation. Statewide, the New Mexico Department of Wildlife had logged 297 bears killed as depredation cases in the license year that began April 1, according to a tally updated September 11. Across all of the previous license year, the same category accounted for 62 out of some 680 bear deaths statewide.
