Santa Ana Gaboon viper sighting was an AI hoax, police say; caller could be cited

The Gaboon viper that put a Santa Ana neighborhood on alert was never there, according to Santa Ana police. Police say the man who reported the snake in his backyard admitted the photo he shared was AI-generated and that his report was false.

Officers and reptile experts had already searched the area near the 1400 block of South Cypress Avenue without finding a snake or any sign of one, Santa Ana PD said. Detectives learned the truth during a follow-up the next day, according to police.

How it unraveled

The man called 911 on Monday, Sept. 28, to report the viper, NBC Los Angeles reported. Police posted an alert on social media using the photo he provided and called in reptile experts to search the neighborhood.

The man said his barking dogs led him outside to the snake and that his son saw it too, the Orange County Register reported. On Tuesday, Sept. 29, detectives went to his workplace for more information, and during that interview he admitted fabricating both the report and the image, according to the Register.

Police spokesperson Natalie Garcia told NBC Los Angeles that it took the man a long time to confess and that police do not know his motive. He gave a reason, she said, but the department is not sharing it. Police have not released his name.

Red flags in the photo

Police had suspicions before the alert went out, Garcia told NBC LA, but wanted to verify in person that the snake was not there. The department ran the image through AI tools, and the results conflicted: some said it was AI and others said it was not.

Experts also questioned where the snake was. Gaboon vipers are heavy ground dwellers, and Jay Brewer of The Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley told FOX 11 the species is highly unlikely to climb onto a shed. The Register reported that police and experts also noticed what appeared to be an ear on the animal. Snakes do not have external ears.

The Gaboon viper is a highly venomous snake native to sub-Saharan Africa. It rarely bites people because it tends to be calm, but it can kill an adult, according to NBC LA. Brewer told FOX 11 that owning one requires at least two permits and a serious facility.

Could he be charged?

Police initially did not plan to seek charges, the Register reported. After the admission, detectives decided to seek a charge of making a false report of an emergency.

Garcia told NBC LA that police plan to cite the man for falsifying an emergency because he called 911, and that they plan to work with the Orange County District Attorney's Office on charges. As of those reports, no charges had been announced.

What’s next

Santa Ana police say they plan to cite the man for falsifying an emergency and work with the Orange County District Attorney's Office on charges. No charges had been announced as of NBC Los Angeles' Sept. 30 report.