15-foot-long snake shot by cops while wrapped around owner’s neck

A massive snake wrapped itself around the neck of a Pennsylvania man, prompting responding cops to shoot the pet in the head, police said.

The huge reptile, estimated to be least 15 feet long, latched onto the neck of its 28-year-old owner Wednesday afternoon at a home in Fogelsville, Upper Macungie Township police said.

“It was a very dire situation,” Lt. Peter Nickischer told The Post. “I have to give credit to the officers. There was no hesitation and they reacted and did what they needed to do.”

Two officers went to the man’s home after getting a report of someone in cardiac arrest while a large snake was wrapped around his neck. A relative at the home is believed to have called for help.

The man was unresponsive and on the floor while the midsection of his enormous pet was tightly coiled around his neck, Nickischer said.

But the head of the “very large” snake was far enough away from the man to allow an officer a clear shot without risking further injury to its owner. The reptile was shot once in the head, but slithered away, Nickischer said.

Cops then managed to pull the man to safety before paramedics began treating him. He was rushed to a hospital, but his condition is unclear early Thursday, police said.

The pet later died from the single gunshot wound. Nickischer said he wasn’t sure what type of snake it was or how the reptile became attached to the man’s neck.

“It wasn’t like the officers had the opportunity to stop and ask questions,” he said. “The call came in as a cardiac arrest, so they had to move. There really wasn’t any time to find out the circumstances. Those are [answers] we still don’t know.”

Several other snake enclosures were found inside the man’s home, WTXF reported.

Police had not been notified of the man’s death as of early Thursday, according to Nickischer, who said he believed he had survived. Paramedics used life-saving measures when they responded to the residence Wednesday.

“I can’t praise their actions enough,” the veteran officer said. “Nineteen years as a cop, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anything like this with a snake.”