Caught on video: 2 sightings of mountain lion roaming through California neighborhoods

By Lauren Martinez

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    MILPITAS, California (KGO) — Surveillance cameras captured a mountain lion roaming through two Milpitas neighborhoods.

The first sighting was around 2 a.m. on Wednesday at Friendly Village Mobile Home Park.

Cuc Nguyen showed ABC7 News her backyard where the mountain lion jumped onto one of their sheds where you can see it left swipes of paw prints on the sides.

Her granddaughter Doris Phi was sleeping in her room just feet away – and never heard anything.

“I was like freaked out because it was in front of like my window,” Phi said.

Two hours later around 4:30 a.m., Milpitas police said a resident’s ring camera captured a mountain lion near Fairmeadow Way. That’s less than three miles from where the first sighting was captured.

ABC7 spoke with Detective Michelle Sanchez with the Milpitas Police Department.

“Sightings of mountain lions in residential areas I would say are rare,” Sanchez said.

The department is deploying thermal imaging drones to search for the animal.

“It shoots up and it can search up to two to three miles away,” Sanchez said.

The department shared the surveillances videos on their social media accounts.

“Just awareness for our community members especially those walking or riding their bicycles so that they’re more aware of their surroundings,” Sanchez said.

We showed residents the videos.

Siddhand Parmar said he found out about the sighting through a neighborhood group chat.

“I mean I was pretty scared, I usually take walks at night but no more walks at night,” Parmar said.

Milpitas police are encouraging community members for any additional mountain lion sightings – call 911.

Doris Phi said she’ll be sleeping with her bedroom window closed.

“Definitely closed, I’m not leaving that open no way,” Phi said.

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