What the pet snakes looked like in the X-ray machine (TSA)
The Transportation Security Agency had to pause screenings at a Southern California airport after a man tried to get through security with two live snakes in his carry-on suitcase.
What we know:
According to TSA, it happened at Ontario International Airport, where a TSA agent found two live snakes inside pillowcases during a routine bag screening.
The agent told CBS News he thought he was holding a rope, but then it started moving.
"I need to escalate this immediately," he recalled saying to himself.
Live snakes wrapped in a pillowcase (TSA)
TSA agents had to pause security screening to deal with the "nope ropes, TSA said.
RELATED: TSA alert: Your carry-on bag may need to be checked after all
The man with the snakes said they’re his pets and that he’d flown with them before. He ended up handing the snakes over to a family member who wasn’t traveling.
What we don't know:
It’s unclear what kind of snakes they were.
What they're saying:
"Don’t get it twisted there will be no snakes on a plane if they’re packaged this way," TSA said in a Facebook post. "If you have asp-irations of taking a snake on a plane, don’t get upsetti spaghetti by not understanding your airline’s rules.
"For instance, airlines don’t allow danger noodles in carry-on bags and only a few allow them to slither around in checked bags, if packaged correctly."
The Source: This report includes information from TSA and CBS News.