Officers free 3-foot exotic snake caught in vehicle
By: -----
Franklin Township, NJ - A Franklin Township couple got a surprise after returning home from a wheel alignment and discovering a large snake lodged in their vehicle's grille, prompting a call to police for help.
Aiyana Hudson said she was alarmed by the situation, which happened on Sept. 14 on Oakland Avenue, though her boyfriend initially tried to calm her down.
"He told me, 'Stop - you're acting like someone died,' and I was like, 'it's a snake,' and he's like, 'let's go look at this,'" Hudson said.
After spotting the snake, Hudson said she wasn't sure who could help.
"Who do you call in a situation at this point? Like who do you call? I kept calling the police-there's a snake in my car," she said.
Body camera video showed officers examining the vehicle and trying to determine how best to remove the animal. Officers spent about 20 minutes working to free the snake.
Officer Lisseth Villacis said police first tried to get help from animal control.
"We tried getting animal control out there, and they're like, they only deal with domesticated animals. And we're like, oh shoot. OK. So, we're kind of like the last resort," Villacis said.
With no other options available, officers decided to remove the snake themselves.
"We were just like, OK, he's being brave. I'm being brave. We got this. Let's just try to take it out," Villacis said.
The officers successfully removed the snake, which was identified as a 3-foot-long ball python.
Hudson said she was relieved the snake never made its way into 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," she said. "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."
How the snake ended up in the vehicle remains unknown. The ball python was taken to an animal shelter unharmed and is expected to be available for adoption.