Raccoon found ‘secretly living’ in Cincinnati news station ‘to escape’ the cold
A Cincinnati news station thought they had a sneaky office intruder—but the culprit turned out to be a clever raccoon trying to escape the winter chill.
Local 12, a CBS affiliate, discovered that a small, furry coworker had quietly moved in without anyone noticing. “We didn’t know who it was for a while,” admitted chief meteorologist John Gumm in a post on X. But their suspicions were confirmed when one of the newsroom engineers caught the masked visitor during a late-night shift.
“We suspected someone had broken into Local 12 to escape the brutally cold winter weather. Now we have an ID on the perpetrator,” Gumm captioned a video showing the raccoon in action. “The authorities have been alerted.”
In the clip, recorded by engineer Noah Schuler, the raccoon—true to its “trash panda” nickname—dips its tiny paws into a garbage can, pausing to make sure no one is watching. At one point, it nearly tips the can over while reaching for its prize, before scampering back to a hidden nook in the newsroom. It’s not yet clear when the raccoon will be removed.
Fans and staff alike have been loving the newsroom’s new “employee.”
“[Local 12] has a new employee helping us put the show on the air,” joked anchor Meghan Mongillo on Facebook. One user added on X: “This is actually the new hire. I’m their lawyer, and firing them would be wrongful termination.” Another suggested: “Get him an employee badge, a cute bib, and a bowl of cherries to munch on stat.”
This isn’t the first raccoon to grab headlines this season. In December, a raccoon went viral after breaking into a Virginia liquor store, getting drunk, and being found sprawled face-down in the employee restroom—with a trail of broken bottles leading straight to it.
Even President Trump has a keen eye for news like this, proving that sometimes, the most surprising stories come from the unlikeliest coworkers.
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