Long Island Woman Claims She Bought Potpourri With Snake Inside

LEVITTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - A Long Island woman is on the hunt, looking for a snake she said may have gotten into her home in a bag of potpourri.

Just the thought of a snake slithering around her Levittown home has left Natalie Malik unable to sleep at night.

Malik told WCBS 880 reporter Sophia Hall that something was amiss the day after she bought a bag of potpourri from HomeGoods in Riverhead.

"Two pieces of the potpourri actually was out, crashed onto the floor," Malik told CBS 2's John Slattery.

After that, she said she found a nine-inch-long piece of snake skin in the potpourri bag.

"And then the whole other piece just came out in one long strand," she told Slattery. "It was moist."

Malik said she has not seen a snake, but is convinced there is one somewhere in her house.

"I freaked out. I just started getting really nervous," she told Hall. "I don't know if this is poisonous or not."

Malik said she is afraid for her two teacup Pomeranians and she has set up a trap with crickets. She said she's been checking around the baseboards in her house and has nets ready to catch the snake.

"I went to the reptile store yesterday with my mom. They did say that it was from a snake," she said. "I just want it out of my house."

Malik said the reptile dealers she spoke to couldn't determine what type of snake left behind the skin. But they said snakes like warmth and advised Malik to check the radiators for the uninvited guest.

Malik said it was the first time she purchased potpourri and likely her last.

HomeGoods said it is looking into the matter and will take appropriate action. The TJX Companies, parent company of HomeGoods, released the following statement in response to the incident:

"Our vendor has assured us that the manufacturing process for this product makes it highly unlikely for this to occur."