A New Jersey woman returning from a wheel alignment found an unexpected passenger in her car: a 3-foot python lodged inside the front grille. Police had to take apart part of the vehicle to rescue the snake.
Aiyana Hudson discovered the reptile on Sept. 14 in Franklin Township and contacted police, according to WABC-TV.
Body camera video captured officers examining the car and figuring out the safest way to remove the trapped snake.
Officer Lisseth Villacis said police first reached out to animal control, but the agency explained that it handled only domesticated animals.
Police responded to a home in Franklin Township, New Jersey, after a woman reported finding what appeared to be a snake trapped in her car’s front grille. (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 dismantling the vehicle. They removed sections of the front end, including the bumper, to access the reptile.
Officers took off parts of the vehicle, including the front bumper, so they could reach the trapped snake. (Franklin Township Police Department via Storyful)
After roughly 20 minutes, officers untangled the snake and pulled it free. Animal control officials identified it as a 3-foot ball python.
Hudson said she was grateful the snake had not entered the cabin 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.”
Police safely removed the python and 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 injured and was taken to the Franklin Township Animal Shelter, according to MyCentralJersey.com.
Franklin Township Public Safety Director Lloyd Fredericks reminded residents that releasing exotic pets into the wild is illegal and may endanger native wildlife and household animals. He said people who can no longer care for pet snakes should surrender them to the township animal shelter.