Authorities made the alarming find of a 5-foot boa constrictor that had made its way up a toilet through a down-pipe in a San Diego office building on Wednesday.

Fortunately, no one was using the toilet when it was discovered, according to CNN, but it certainly caused one person a scare. Stephanie Lacsa was working in the building when she walked into the bathroom and noticed that the toilet water was fairly high, so she used a plunger to pull out the blockage — and then she saw something.

She kept plunging, and then saw the flicker of a tongue, causing her to run out of the bathroom screaming, taping the door shut. Animal control arrived, and the responding officer called it a first.

How did the snake get there? Lacsa’s business partner, who works at a public relations firm in the building, said the building is the Old San Diego City Hall, which was first built in 1886 and has old pipes and bad plumbing. That potentially makes it easier for creatures such as the snake to climb through its works.

Animal control took the boa to a veterinarian.

Although boa constrictors are popular pets often found in the Amazon jungle, its range does reach up to northern Mexico, near the San Diego area. Authorities did not indicate whether they believed it to be an escaped pet or a wild specimen.

Typically, they are nocturnal creatures who bask during the day, and often climb into trees, but typically stick to the ground as they grow bigger. Boa constrictors can strike if they see a threat, and they pack a painful bite, but they rarely threaten humans.