Editor's Pick: Stolen Snake Returned to West Islip Reptile Store

If you should read any stories on the West Islip Patch from 2016, make it this one. It might not have been the top read stories of the year, but it’s definitely worth your time.

Stolen Snake Returned to West Islip Reptile Store

The snake was stolen from the store last week.

Published: November 9

WEST ISLIP, NY - A snake that was reported stolen from a West Islip reptile store last week was returned on Wednesday.

A baby ball python snake was reportedly stolen from Repxotica Rare Reptiles located on 19 Udall Road on Friday at 5:39 p.m. The snake was worth a total of $500.

A surveillance video and photos of a man stealing the snake from store was posted on the Repxotica Rare Reptiles Facebook page on Monday. The video was shared a total of 364 times and the photos were shared 28 times.

On Wednesday afternoon, the store wrote on their Facebook page that the snake had been returned by an "anonymous third party."

"We would like to thank all of you for sharing and posting," the post read. "It was because of you that the animal has been returned safe and sound."