Slithering ‘snake burglar’ steals thousands from CA salon

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Police were looking for a man dubbed the “snake burglar” who wriggled his way through a Southern California business and fled with several thousands dollars.

Surveillance video showed the man slithering on his belly at the Rustic Roots salon in Riverside at around 5 a.m. last Friday after apparently getting into the business through a rooftop fire escape.

“It just gave me chills up my spine,” owner Lori Hajj told KNBC-TV.

Hajj says the thief she calls the “snake burglar” stole hundreds of dollars worth of products, cash from the register and a safe with more than $8,000 inside.

A security guard who was installing a new alarm system at the salon told KNBC-TV that the crook had been trying successfully to avoid a motion sensor.

The same man may have tried to burglarize other businesses previously, including a local pizza parlor where security video showed a man crawling on his belly, the station said.