Watch: Georgia Man Pulls Snake From Gas Pump

CEDARTOWN, GA — Brandon Radke isn't scared of snakes. However, some Georgia residents who don't feel the same way might be a little more wary at the gas station after watching him in action.

A new video posted on YouTube Monday shows Radke pulling what looks to be a 3- to 4-foot rat snake out of a gas pump in Cedartown, which is west of Atlanta near the Alabama state line.

According to the YouTube post, the slithery incident happened at Cowboy's Shell gas station, on Highway 278 in Cedartown.

In the roughly 90-second video, Radke wraps his arm in a flannel shirt, then uses a gas nozzle to nudge the nonvenomous snake into a position where he can grab it. (Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

As onlookers shriek and squeal in the background — "You're one brave soul," one is heard saying — Radke tugs the snake out of the pump then walks toward a wooded area behind the gas station, where he lets the snake go.

"I love snakes," Radke told WSB-TV, adding that removing the snake from the pump was "no big deal."

He told the station that he grabbed the snake behind the head, making it impossible for it to turn around and bite him.

The nonvenomous eastern rat snake is a common snake that ranges from New York to Texas and all throughout the southeastern United States.

According to the University of Georgia, the snake is most commonly found in or near forests, forest edges with old fields and abandoned buildings. They are powerful constrictors who feed on rodents and other small mammals, as well as birds and bird eggs.

Sometimes called "chicken snakes" because they can be found in hen houses where they eat eggs or chicks, rat snakes will vibrate their tails rapidly if threatened — a behavior that, especially in an area of loose leaves, mimics the venomous rattlesnake.

Three subspecies of rat snake can be found in Georgia: the black rat snake, the yellow rat snake and the gray rat snake.

Watch the video of Radke pulling the rat snake free below:

Photo via YouTube