Alexander Rojas: Florida man’s split-second decision saves him from deadly bear attack

A Florida man says he survived a terrifying bear attack after being mauled outside his home in the early hours of the morning.

Alexander Rojas, 23, was heading to work around 4am on August 15 when he stepped out onto his porch in Apopka, Orange County, and came face-to-face with two young black bears.

Security footage shared with a local outlet shows him flinching as one of the animals charges. The clip cuts just before impact.

“For some odd reason, he (the bear) turned around, did more stutter steps toward me and bit my arm and then clawed my rib cage,” Mr Rojas said.

“I was able to kick his feet out and knock him in the nose.”

Injured and bleeding, he sprinted to a neighbour’s house to call his girlfriend.

“She had heard me screaming, and I was telling her to bring me towels. I was bleeding all over the ground,” he said.

At the hospital, he was given rabies and tetanus shots and is now being monitored for potential nerve or tendon damage in his forearm, People reported.

On a GoFundMe page set up by his sister to cover medical bills, Mr Rojas recounted the split-second decisions he faced during the attack.

“In that moment, I had three immediate options,” he wrote.

“Attempt to open the door while a bear was still within five feet, run left where another bear of similar size was approximately 30 feet away, or run right toward the woods where the mother bear could potentially be.”

“I had to make a rapid decision under pressure. Ultimately, I evaded both bears by hurdling over a vehicle and moving into an open space further down the street,” he said.

Mr Rojas also stressed he wanted no harm to come to the animals: “I want to emphasise that I did not harm or kill any of the bears. No bears were harmed during the encounter. My intent in sharing this information is solely to raise community awareness.”

Florida wildlife officials are investigating the incident.