Search for the snake in the lake

The search continues in Lake Hopatcong for the snake in the lake.

Lake Hopatcong (Google Street View)

Gerald Andrejcak, a reptile specialist, tells NJ.com he was "sworn to secrecy" by animal control officials to not reveal the true nature of what is in the lake. "It's a green anaconda," Andrejcak told the website. "I've known its species (since last week), but I was sworn to keep my mouth shut by local officials to avoid causing a panic. Now that there's a panic, I'm going on the record."

State Department of Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Ragonese says traps have been set to try and capture whatever is in the lake but so far the DEP says it has no proof of its existence.

Andrejcak was able to get a close-up view but the snake dove back into the water when a boat hit the boathouse. "The snake looked over, and I jumped out of my boat to grab it, but it went underwater," Andrejcak told the Daily Record. "I was feeling around with my feet for it and I felt it swim right between my legs." He described the snake as having a head as large as his hand and being 15 to 16 feet long.

Chasing Jersey tweeted that Andrejcak checked drain pipes and checking some of the shallow water along the lake for the snake. Andrwjcak smelled droppings from the snake coming from a drainage pipe on Halsey Island Sunday night according to the New Jersey Herald.

National Geographic says green anacondas are native to South America and "is, pound for pound, the largest snake in the world." They can be 29-feet long nearly as long as a school bus, and weigh over 550 pounds with females bigger than the males. Green Anacondas usually live in.

Andrejcak believes the snake was released into the lake and hopes the person is charged according to the Daily Record.

David Matthau contributed to this report.