15,000 bees swarmed into a New Mexico man’s car while he was grocery shopping

A man in New Mexico who had just finished grocery shopping returned to the parking lot to find 15,000 bees had swarmed his car on Sunday.

The man had put his groceries in his back seat and started to drive off after shopping at an Albertsons in Las Cruces, New Mexico, when he saw the bees, the Las Cruces Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

He pulled over and called the fire department for help.

Read more: A Black police union president says it's time for America to overhaul law enforcement and address how racial bias plays a big role in policing practices

Firefighters who arrived on scene called their off-duty colleague, Jesse Johnson, who in his spare time is a beekeeper, to help remove the insects, the department said.

Johnson was able to remove the 15,000 bees using a hive kit and lemongrass oil, and moved them to an unknown location outside city limits.