Snake Gets Loose On SEPTA Bus, Forces Evacuations

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A SEPTA bus had to be evacuated Sunday afternoon when a passenger's snake got loose.

A Route 52 bus turned into Animal Planet when SEPTA officials say a man boarded the bus in West Philadelphia with a 4-foot boa constrictor.

"He had the snake around the neck," says SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch, "but had a jacket on top of the snake."

And quickly, Busch says things got a little slippery.

"The snake got loose and coiled up underneath one of the seats," he says, "so that's when the operator became aware of it, contacted SEPTA police.

The bus was evacuated and passengers were eventually placed on different buses. No one was injured.

SEPTA police retrieved the snake and gave it back to the owner.

Owner of the snake, Koran Riley, says, "This is a $450 dollar snake and I love her to death."

As for the possibility of charges, SEPTA police say they're investigating this unusual situation.

In:
• SEPTA
• Philadelphia