Ball Python removed from SUV's engine in West Chester

West Chester, Pa. (WTXF) - It was an unexpected surprise when a Ball Python was found in an SUV's engine in West Chester.

Corey Hansen says he did not expect to spend his night retrieving a reptile from his ride.

"Here was the snake. It was in that wheel well," he told FOX 29.

Hansen says he was inside his place on South High Street when he heard a commotion.

"Then, we get a knock on the front door and they're like, 'Hey, a snake just crawled into your car.' I was like, 'Oh, my," he explained.

It appeared to be an adult female Ball Python--nearly 5 feet long--slithering toward a rear parking lot.

Hansen went out back to his Nissan Rogue and popped the hood to investigate. Hansen's buddies tried to snatch the snake but to no avail.

"So whenever we would try and mess with it to get it out and it started crawling up that way--it would just tuck itself back," Hansen explained.

Soon, West Chester police were on scene along with local firefighters and a mechanic who began disassembling the front end of the Rogue to pull out the python.

After a lengthy tussle, the reptile was removed, tossed into a cooler and returned to its rightful owner Cops posted the success story to their Facebook page.

How'd that happen? The snake wasn't wearing a name tag

Well, Hansen loaded video of the captured critter to Snapchat.

"Within less than a minute, my buddy hit me back, 'Oh my gosh, that's one of my friends' snake. He lost it months ago. He wants it back.'"