Snake Found In Apartment Building Lobby Had Serendipitous Timing

YONKERS, NY — The members of the Yonkers Emergency Service Unit never know what they might face on any given day and that's why in part the elite officers train for the unexpected continuously. Sometimes, it could take years before that training is needed in the field, while at other other times, those well-honed skills are required almost immediately.

Just hours after the Emergency Service Unit (ESU) had a specialized training session on reptiles where experts taught officers how to safely deal with any such animals they might encounter in the course of their duties, the officers encountered just such an animal in the course of their duties.

The Emergency Service Unit's first call of the day the morning after the training session was a snake spotted in the lobby of an apartment building.

The snake was a fully grown Northern Brown Snake at over a foot long, according to police. This species is native to this area and is not venomous. The snake typically eats worms, and was most likely trying to escape the sudden colder temperatures outside.

The ESU officers safely captured the snake and relocated it to a wooded area nearby, where it will hopefully find more appropriate accommodations for the winter.