A bald eagle dropped a dead cat onto a North Carolina woman’s windshield Wednesday morning, shattering the glass and covering her in animal remains during her commute to work.
Melissa Schlarb, 28, was driving on U.S. Route 74 near Robbinsville around 8 a.m. when she spotted the eagle overhead, 13 WHAM reported. The bird lost its grip on the cat, which crashed through her passenger-side windshield.
“I could see the cat in my passenger seat. I have guts all over me; there’s glass everywhere. It sounded like a bomb went off,” Schlarb said.
The bank teller managed to brake and pull over safely. Another driver who witnessed the incident helped guide her off the road. A sheriff’s deputy and two wildlife officers responded to check on Schlarb’s condition. (RELATED: ‘Flipped Out Of It’: Ferris Wheel Ejects Two Girls In Horrifying Accident, Officials Say)
A driver called 911 in North Carolina, claiming a bald eagle dropped a cat through their windshield on US-74 early Wednesday morning, shattering the glass.
The driver told the dispatcher that a witness called it “the craziest thing” they had ever seen. pic.twitter.com/0IfKwRJ0Q3
— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) November 21, 2025
Schlarb’s boss, traveling minutes behind on the same highway, stopped to assist after she called to explain why she wouldn’t make it to work.
“Thankfully, the cat was dead long before it ever hit my windshield,” Schlarb said. “I could tell – its insides were outside.”
The bizarre accident left Schlarb with a towed vehicle and insurance complications. Her insurance representative told her she would be “the talk of the whole division.” because they never hear such stories. The company has yet to confirm coverage for the windshield replacement or towing costs
Schlarb expressed gratitude the cat struck the passenger side rather than the driver’s area.
“Even a shift a little bit more in my direction, that could have landed in my face. It could have been a completely different story. I may not even be here at this point,” she said.
The incident occurred on Schlarb’s regular route between Robbinsville and Cherokee, where she works as a bank teller.
