Jake Waleria, 19, wrangled a massive 19-foot Burmese python while snake-hunting with three friends in the Florida Everglades.
A Florida teen risked his life to score a spot in the record books.
Jake Waleria, 19, wrangled a massive 19-foot Burmese python while snake-hunting with three friends in the Florida Everglades.
That makes it the biggest snake captured in the state to date.
The practice is legal in Florida because the serpents are considered an invasive species.
Jake tells Inside Edition that his captor put up a fight to the very end.
“It slithered out on the road and I could see the mass of this thing,” Jake says.
Video shot by one of Jake’s friends shows the snake lunging at Jake as he approaches it to try and make the grab.
“I shot my hand down toward its head and I was lucky to grab it without getting bit,“ Jake says.
The video shows the python starting to recoil after Jake grabs it, which can signify that they are preparing to launch a deadly attack.
The fact that this all happened under the cover of darkness at around 1 a.m. did not help the situation.
That is when Jake’s friends stepped in and managed to subdue the snake and eventually tape its mouth shut.
“It was just absolute chaos,” says Jake.
