Raccoon Found Living Inside US News Station To Escape Winter Cold

A television news station in Cincinnati was surprised to discover that a raccoon had been secretly living inside its office building, apparently to escape the harsh winter cold.

The unexpected guest was found at Local 12, a CBS-affiliated news station based in Cincinnati. Staff members had suspected for some time that someone may have entered the building without permission. However, they were surprised to learn that the intruder was not a person, but a small raccoon.

Chief Meteorologist John Gumm shared the incident on social media platform X. He said the team believed someone had been secretly staying inside the station to avoid the extremely cold weather. The mystery was solved when an engineer working a late-night shift encountered the animal inside the newsroom.

For a while now, we suspected someone had broken into @Local12 and had been secretly living inside the station to escape the brutally cold winter weather. Now we have an ID on the perpetrator. The authorities have been alerted.

🎥: Noah Schuler, Local 12 Engineering pic.twitter.com/Pbguj5pd96

— John Gumm (@JohnGumm) February 23, 2026

In a video recorded by station engineer Noah Schuler, the raccoon can be seen searching through a garbage can. The animal paused several times before attempting to reach the bottom of the bin. At one point, it nearly tipped the trash can over before quickly moving away. Authorities were informed about the situation, although it is not clear when or how the raccoon was removed from the building.

The incident amused both the newsroom staff and viewers. Some joked that the raccoon should be given an employee badge, while others humorously suggested it had already joined the team.

In December, a similar incident grabbed attention when a raccoon in Virginia broke into a liquor store, indulged in the alcohol, and eventually passed out face-down near the toilet. The chaotic intruder left behind shattered bottles and a messy trail, a scene that quickly went viral for its sheer absurdity.