TOWSON, Md. (WJZ)—It terrified Towson. A large snake on Sunday night brought out police cars and trained animal handlers.

But now, in the light of day, Mike Schuh says there is a reason the terror has subsided.

It was after dark Sunday, deep in the wilds of Towson, in a concrete jungle formed by Loch Raven, Goucher and Taylor Avenue. Slithering out of the canopy was a huge snake.

Donna Campbell lives nearby. She says she’s frightened by snakes.

“Oh my God, a 7-foot snake in Parkville. You don’t hear about that every day,” Campbell said.

Animal control responded. They were told it’s a huge, dangerous, python.

“Originally the call came in as a python loose in Towson. It’s not a python but a rat snake,” said Tom Scollins, Baltimore County Animal Control.

Not a python, not dangerous unless you’re a mouse, and not native to Maryland.

“This is not. We have wild rat snakes here in Maryland, but this is not. So this was probably someone’s pet,” Scollins said.

Neighbors called it a monster. But it’s just a common pet store constrictor. Its 5-feet length is now fully contained.

Campbell is just glad it didn’t cross her path.

“You probably would have been able to hear me scream on Television Hill. Honestly, and I’d probably still be screaming,” she said.

But now that the snake has been captured, Campbell says she can rest easy.

Such animals are held for four days. If the owner doesn’t show up, the snake will be put up for adoption.