A New Jersey driver came home from a wheel alignment to find an unexpected passenger hiding in her car: a 3-foot python lodged behind the front grille. Police ultimately had to take apart part of the vehicle to rescue the trapped snake.
Aiyana Hudson discovered the reptile on Sept. 14 in Franklin Township and contacted local police, WABC-TV reported.
Body camera video captured officers examining the vehicle and carefully planning how to remove the snake without harming it.
Officer Lisseth Villacis said police first reached out to animal control, only to learn that the agency dealt exclusively with domesticated animals.
Franklin Township police in New Jersey responded after a woman reported finding a snake apparently trapped inside the front grille of her car. (Franklin Township Police Department via Storyful)
“We tried getting animal control out there, and they’re like, they only deal with domesticated animals,” Villacis told the outlet. “And we’re like, oh shoot. OK. So, we’re kind of like the last resort.”
With no other immediate option, officers began removing sections of the car, including the front bumper, to access the reptile, video showed.
Police dismantled portions of the vehicle, including its front bumper, in an effort to reach the trapped python. (Franklin Township Police Department via Storyful)
Roughly 20 minutes later, officers freed the snake. Animal control officials identified it as a 3-foot ball python, which was removed without injury.
Hudson said she was especially thankful the bizarre stowaway had not managed to enter the passenger compartment while she was driving.
“I was just really happy that it didn’t, like, pop its head through the AC vent when I was driving or come in through the steering wheel,” Hudson told the outlet. “I want to let you know my car would have been lit on fire, and we’d be calling the fire department at that point.”
After removing the snake, officers transported it to the Franklin Township Animal Shelter. (Franklin Township Police Department via Storyful)
Officials have not determined how the python got inside the car’s grille.
The snake was not hurt and was taken to the Franklin Township Animal Shelter, according to MyCentralJersey.com.
Franklin Township Public Safety Director Lloyd Fredericks reminded residents that abandoning exotic pets outdoors is illegal and may endanger native wildlife as well as household animals. Anyone who can no longer care for a pet snake should surrender it to the township animal shelter, he said.
