Boa constrictor hitches ride on van's trailer - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Tim Jones couldn't believe what he saw wrapped on the trailer hitch of a van in front of him as he headed home from work on Wednesday.

"I was making my normal commute from Norcross to Woodstock…and I notice some movement on the trailer hitch on the van in front of me," said Jones.

That movement turned out to be a Columbian Red-Tail boa constrictor.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF THE SNAKE!

"I jumped out and flagged the driver down and said ‘You've got a big snake on your bumper! It's like a python or a boa,'" said Jones.

That driver, John Gambrell was caught off-guard by Jones.  

"I didn't know what he was doing. He was taking pictures, waving at me," said Gambrell. "Well, first of all, I thought it was a shop prank -- someone put a rubber snake under the truck."

But once he realized that it was no prank and they were unable to get the snake out, they called animal control, which in turn called off-duty deputy Sean O'Brien, who just happens to love snakes.

"I just very gently stroked her spine and gently prodded a few times and she started out. When she finally did come out she was 5 and a half feet long and she weighed 10 and a half pounds," said Sean O'Brien.

John Gambrell believes the snake had to have come from a warehouse or his job site in Alpharetta..

"We were in a well-established neighborhood hanging high-end doors. It was a nice area. I have no clue," said Gambrell.

The snake is now in the hands of a reptile rescue specialist. He said that it's definitely a pet snake, as is not found in the wild outside of South America. It will be shown this weekend at a wildlife festival at the Horse Park in Conyers.