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A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC. Gothamist Listen Live Donate News Man ticketed after showing off illegal Burmese python on Coney Island boardwalk By Ryan Kost Published Aug 23, 2026 at 8:40 a.m. ET
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Coney Island loves a spectacle, but what the neighborhood could not accommodate was a Burmese python.
A man who drew a crowd of about a dozen people, including some small children, with the python near the Riegelmann Boardwalk last month has been ticketed for illegally possessing the snake, state officials said.
A state Department of Environment Conservation officer walking near the boardwalk came across a crowd of people on July 12. At the center was a man showing off the python. He had a second snake — a ball python — draped around his neck.
When the officer asked the man about the large snake, the man identified it as a Burmese python and said it was his.
He was issued a ticket for illegal possession, and the python was turned over to the Nassau County SPCA. The conservation department did not release the man's name or say how long the snake was, but it did release a photograph showing two officers holding either end of the snake while standing at least a couple feet apart.
The Burmese python, one of the largest known snake species, is dangerous and illegal to own, according to the conservation department.
They can grow up to more than 17 feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which has spent years studying the snake's spread through the Florida Everglades. A study co-authored by the survey found that the pythons’ proliferation there coincided with a steep drop off in native mammals, including both raccoons and bobcats.
Authorities did not state in the announcement what became of the ball python, which is legal to own in most of New York, but not in the five boroughs.
Snakes have long been a fixture of the Coney Island Boardwalk, along with many other exotic animals. In 2023, police seized one young man’s pet wallaby.
The Department of Environmental Conservation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ryan Kost is a reporter on the day-of news desk, where he covers breaking news and writes enterprise stories about jails, courts, prosecutors and government accountability. His work focuses on the public institutions that shape life in New York. Before joining the newsroom, he lead a multi-part investigation with Columbia Journalism Investigations and New York Focus into how New York prosecutors handle wrongful conviction claims. He's also been a staff writer at The San Francisco Chronicle, The Associated Press and The Oregonian. Got a tip? Signal: ryankost.20
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