Police looking for man and woman who stole two designer pythons

By Robert Brodskyrobert.brodsky@newsday.com @BrodskyRobertNovember 4, 2020

A man and woman stole two designer pythons Friday from a West Islip pet store, with the pair putting the snakes into their coat and pocketbook, according to the store owner and surveillance video.

The pair swiped two 16-inch ball pythons, valued at $800 apiece, on Oct. 30 around 11:45 a.m. from BTJ's Jungle Pets on Sunrise Highway, according to store owner Thomas Niehoff. The theft, he said, was captured on store surveillance video.

"They saw an opportunity and took advantage of it," Niehoff said. "It's just unfortunate in this day and age. There's cameras all over the place. I don't know what these folks were thinking. I am just lucky I had my cameras working and got some good footage of it."

A designer ball python at a West Islip pet store. A... — A designer ball python at a West Islip pet store. A man and a woman stole two similar snakes from the store last week, the shop owner said. Credit: Courtesy Thomas Niehoff

A Suffolk County police spokeswoman confirmed that Third Squad detectives were investigating the theft.

Surveillance images show the pair, both wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks, entered the exotic pet store late Friday morning.

A store employee was cleaning the reptile cages but left the area momentarily to get some crickets for another customer, Niehoff said.

Caught on surveillance, individuals wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks allegedly... — Caught on surveillance, individuals wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks allegedly stole two designer pythons worth $800 each from a West Islip pet shop last week. Credit: Courtesy Thomas Niehoff

The woman distracted and blocked the view of the returning store employee while the man reached into the unlocked cage and removed two tiger-colored exotic snakes, he said. He put one of the pythons into his coat pocket while the other was placed in the woman's handbag, Niehoff said.

The couple took off in a silver Nissan Altima, an image of which was also captured on video.

The snakes are docile and not venomous, Niehoff said.

"They are called designer snakes," said Niehoff, adding that he's had previous python thefts. "You crossbreed them with other kinds of snakes of the same caliber but different colors and you get unusual colors. And once you get an unusual strain then you start something new and you can get $2,000 or $3,000 for a snake."