A routine traffic stop in Hillsborough County took an unexpected detour when a frog hopped into a woman's car, sending her into a screaming fit before a deputy stepped in to handle the amphibian intruder himself.
According to the Tampa Bay 28 report by Brian McBride, the ordeal began when a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputy approached the woman's car during the stop and a frog jumped into her vehicle. The driver, who disliked frogs, screamed, “Did it jump on me?” as the tiny visitor made its presence known.
Deputy Steps In To Handle The Situation
Rather than proceed with the stop as usual, the deputy asked the driver to remove her seat belt and step out of the car so he could deal with the frog, per the same account. He then rescued the frog himself, though it took a few attempts before it was safely removed from the vehicle.
Once the frog was gone, the deputy reportedly told the shaken driver, “You were really scared,” acknowledging just how rattled she'd been by the encounter. The driver, relieved, thanked the deputy for coming to her aid. It's unclear whether she was ultimately ticketed during the stop, as Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office officials did not say whether that happened.
Not The First Frog To Cause A Scene On Florida Roads
Florida drivers sharing their cars with unexpected amphibian passengers isn't unheard of. In a separate incident, a Florida woman discovered a small frog on her dashboard while driving in Orlando, according to wfla.com. A cell phone video captured the woman screaming as the frog jumped toward her, prompting her to yell, “It jumped on me!” That frog also made it safely out of her car once she parked.
Between the Hillsborough traffic stop and the Orlando dashboard scare, it seems Florida's frogs have a habit of catching drivers off guard. Fortunately, in both cases, the amphibians ended up back outside where they belonged, and the humans involved lived to tell the tale.
