A Pennsylvania man, Elliot Senseman, 27, of Upper Macungie Township, died on Sunday, after being strangled by his 18-foot pet snake four days earlier.
The boa constrictor wrapped itself around the Mr. Senseman’s neck, causing strangulation, according to the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office. In their statement, they said that a boa constrictor, or a similar snake, wrapped its body “around the neck of Mr. Senseman, thus causing the anoxic brain injury” and a “complete lack of oxygen to the brain.”
Police were called to Senseman’s home on Wednesday afternoon, “for a male in cardiac arrest with a snake wrapped around his neck,” according to a department statement.
When they arrived, they found an unresponsive man on the floor with a large reptile wrapped around his neck. An officer was forced to shoot the snake without harming the owner.
The snake was removed from the victim’s neck and emergency medical care was given.
Authorities say the snake was the man’s pet and several other snake cages were found inside the home. The incident is under investigation.
Owing a snake in Pennsylvania is not against state law, but some counties in Pennsylvania do not allow it.
The snake died from its injuries.