(UPI) Authorities in Pennsylvania said a call about a stray python in a resident's garage led to the discovery of two more of the large snakes slithering nearby.

Mark Reardon of Levittown said his mother-in-law was in the family's garage when she spotted a large snake slithering around that was clearly not a native garden snake.

Reardon said the snake was docile and surprisingly easy to capture.

"I just grabbed the trash can and I had a poke in my hand ... and it went right into the trash can. It was no big deal," Reardon told WPVI-TV.

Middletown Township Animal Control Officer Cheyenne Keen identified the snake as a ball python measuring 4 to 5 feet long.

"I started to put it in my car and that's when I got the call about the next snake," Keen said.

The second python was located at a Shell gas station a few blocks away. Keen said the second snake had apparently spent too long in the cold and unfortunately did not survive.

Keen said she captured one more python, this one still alive, at a nearby residence.

Police warned area residents to keep a look out in case there are more of the non-venomous snakes on the loose.

Keen said investigators believe the pythons were pets that were abandoned by their owner.

"There's no way three 4-foot snakes all got out and nobody realizes it. So it transitioned from a stray animal call to a possible abandonment call," Keen said.

She said the surviving snakes are receiving veterinary care and will likely be rehomed.

"They're one of the most commonly owned snakes. They're super docile and they make great pets," Keen said.

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