NEED TO KNOW

• A driver in North Carolina was shocked on Nov. 19 when something crashed through her car’s windshield, and it turned out to be a cat dropped by a bald eagle

• “You may not believe me, but I just had a bald eagle drop a cat through my windshield,” she told a 911 operator

• A state trooper said that the cat had been seen “fighting” the bird in mid-air before the incident

A driver in North Carolina was left bewildered after something crashed through her car’s windshield as she was driving to work. After closer inspection, she discovered the object was a cat that had been dropped from the sky by a bald eagle.

According to a statement from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the woman was driving on US-74 at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Swain County, near Bryson City, about 65 miles outside Asheville, when the unusual collision occurred.

The woman dialed 911 immediately and told the operator that the plummeting feline “shattered” her windshield.

“You may not believe me, but I just had a bald eagle drop a cat through my windshield. It absolutely shattered my windshield,” the driver, who has not been named, told a 911 operator in a transcript obtained by ABC 11.

“I do believe you, honestly,” the operator replied. “I had a witness who was like, ‘That is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Though the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said that the woman was not injured, The Charlotte Observer reported that the cat died after the accident.

State trooper Kosal Thach told the outlet that the cat had been seen “fighting” the bird in mid-air while the eagle carried the feline.

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According to the Observer, the car was going around 55 mph when the cat made impact. A photo provided by police shows the vehicle’s passenger-side windshield shattered. The driver had her car towed and got a ride to work after the incident, Thach said.

The eagle fled the scene before troopers arrived. It is unclear where the cat came from or whether the animal was a local pet.

Bryson City is located near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the region is known for being home to many bald eagles.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, bald eagles are the largest bird of prey species in North America. Females may have a wingspan of up to 8 feet and can weigh as much as 14 pounds, while male eagles may have a wingspan of up to 6 feet and weigh in at 10 pounds.

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Bald eagles are also opportunistic feeders, and fish serve as a staple food for the species. They also feed on waterfowl, shorebirds, waterbirds, turtles, rabbits, snakes, and small animals, catching them by swooping down from the sky and picking them up off the ground with their talons.

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