What began as a normal Tuesday morning turned into a bizarre encounter for one Jacksonville woman — when a squirrel fell from her roof and landed directly on her head as she opened her front door.
According to homeowner Lisa Conway, 37, the incident happened just after 8:00 a.m. as she stepped outside to retrieve a package from her porch.
“I opened the door, took one step out, and BAM — something slammed onto my head,” Conway recalled. “At first I thought it was a branch, but then it started moving. That’s when I screamed.”
Doorbell camera footage captured the moment a startled squirrel tumbled off the edge of the roof and landed squarely on Conway’s head before launching itself into the nearby bushes.
“I think we were both equally horrified,” she laughed. “It was like he missed his branch and used me as a backup landing pad.”
Conway was not injured, though she said her coffee and dignity didn’t survive the fall. The squirrel appeared unhurt and disappeared into the neighbor’s yard.
Wildlife experts say this type of accident is rare but possible, especially during the fall when squirrels are more active collecting food and chasing each other on rooftops.
“Squirrels are agile climbers, but they’re not immune to clumsy moments,” said Dr. Elena Foster, a wildlife biologist with Florida Wildlife Services. “Sometimes they just slip — and unfortunately for this woman, she was directly in the landing zone.”
The clip has since gone viral after Conway posted the doorbell footage to social media with the caption: “When your front porch becomes a squirrel runway ✈️🐿️😱.” As of this afternoon, the video had over 1.2 million views.
“I guess I’ll look up before stepping out from now on,” Conway joked. “You never know what’s coming.”
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