Giant Snake Sparks Concern at Grover Cleveland

As Heidi Spiegel was on her third lap around Grover Cleveland Park Tuesday night, an unusual sight caught her attention in the creek on the Essex Fells side of the county park.

A closer look revealed a fish was being devoured by a large snake.

“It was my third lap around the creek and I must have missed it the first two times I went around,” Spiegel said. “I probably wouldn’t have seen it if it wasn’t for the fish’s tail that was flipping out of the snake’s mouth. The fish’s tail caught my eye.”

Spiegel, a North Caldwell resident, grew up in the Poconos where she became familiar with various types of snakes.

Considering this snake’s striping, color and shape of its head, Spiegel was concerned it was a venomous—and potentially dangerous—Copperhead.

Spiegel and others gathered at about 8 p.m., as Essex Fells Police Officer Ryan Hoyt responded and called for the West Orange Animal Control, which has a shared-service agreement with the borough.

However, Animal Control Officer Adrian Delgado’s netting was unable to reach the snake, which could not be captured and continued down the creek.

“Snakes are very difficult to catch. They can slither away very easily, especially when they are in water,” said Theresa DeNova, West Orange’s health officer. “If there was another sighting, we certainly would have come back out.”

But Lawrence Hajna, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, said Wednesday there’s no reason for concern.

According to Hajna, one of the department’s snake experts identified the reptile through pictures taken by The Caldwells Patch as a non-venomous Northern Water Snake, commonly found in the area and often mistaken for the poisonous Copperhead.

According to the state DEP, there are 22 species of snakes found in New Jersey, including the venomous Copperhead and Timber Rattlesnake.

The Copperhead is usually found in rural, mountainous regions and ranges in length from 20 to 40 inches. It’s bite is poisonous and considered painful, but rarely fatal, experts said.

The Northern Water Snake is one of the most commonly found snakes in New Jersey and ranges in length from 22 to 53 inches. These snakes are found throughout the state in freshwater streams, ponds, lakes, swamps, marshes and bogs.

The Northern Water Snake’s color and striping often cause alarm that it’s a Copperhead.

“It’s a common misconception,” Hajna said.