TAMPA, Fla. — Everybody, strap in! This story may not have Samuel L. Jackson, but it does involve a snake on a plane. And the stowaway reptile hitched a ride from Tampa to New Jersey, according to multiple reports.
The Florida snake — said to be a harmless garter snake — snuck onto a United Airlines flight that took off from Tampa and landed Monday afternoon at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to CBS News.
A passenger on flight 2038 reportedly told local news station News 12 that the snake was discovered when the plane was taxiing on the runway. The unwanted guest caused some people in business class to shriek and pull their feet up in fear, News 12 reported.
The Washington Post said United released a statement saying passengers were able to alert the crew to the snake's presence and that the crew was able to call "the appropriate authorities to take care of the situation." The Port Authority confirmed to the Washington Post officers came onto the plane and safely removed the snake from the plane.
No one was hurt, reports said.
While it's rare that snakes end up in planes, when they do, they're generally alone and not the venomous, bloodthirsty reptiles Jackson battled in the 2006 film "Snakes on a Plane."
For example, USA Today reported back in February a snake was seen slithering through a plane's overhead lights on a flight in Malaysia. The flight ended up having to be rerouted, according to USA Today.
Back in 2017, a passenger reportedly left their pet snake behind on a plane, inadvertently making it the next flight's problem, The Associated Press said. A little boy on the flight spotted the sleeping snake. Unlike the Tampa to Newark flight, everyone remained calm.