‘Last thing I expected’: Car wash workers find groundhog stuck in woman’s car

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA/Gray News) - A woman who went to get her car washed after a bird got stuck in her front grille was met with a much bigger surprise.

Employees at a Jiffy Lube in the Fort Wayne area told WPTA that workers next door at Mike’s Car Wash called them over for help when they came across something unusual.

The car wash workers said they spotted a groundhog when they were checking the front bumper of the woman’s vehicle.

“It was definitely an odd day at work,” said Jiffy Lube manager Dalton Brenneke.

The animal was found alive, but workers said it was stuck inside the front bumper of the car.

“The last thing I expected was to be pulling apart a front bumper to remove a groundhog,” Brenneke said.

Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control was also contacted. They joined the workers to help take the car apart to safely get the animal out.

But that proved to be no easy feat as once the team started working on the car, the groundhog started moving around.

“He was cute but definitely mad that we were trying to take him from his warm home,” Brenneke said.

Workers said they ended up having to not only remove the front bumper of the car but also a rear left tire to free the groundhog.

“We took off the front skid plate to give him room but then he ran to the back of the car before we finally got him out,” Brenneke said.

According to Brenneke, the car owner was not charged for their services.

However, the woman said the groundhog angrily chewed through some wiring that did cost her $500 in repairs.

Brenneke said the team involved in freeing the groundhog ended up naming him Mike.

The animal was handed over to an officer after the rescue.

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