Two hours into the search of a South Philadelphia row home, Humane Law Enforcement Officers from the Pennsylvania SPCA stumbled onto a four-foot alligator.
"We started moving the junk and it started hissing. We thought it was a cat at first until we cleared everything away," said George Bengal of the SPCA.
Officers found a Noah's Ark of animals but many were not alive. Of the 25 animals found, 14 were dead.
Among the animals found were iguanas, cats, a dog, turtles, a tarantula along with roosters and rats.
"It's unreal. I live in the half block and you can smell it," said neighbor Jim Moore.
Neighbors say they've complained of the horrible stench emanating from the home for years but to no avail.
"After several years calling city representatives and other people, finally the SPCA is handling it," said neighbor Joe Guin.
Police uncovered the hoarding case after the owner of the home locked himself out of the house naked Tuesday morning.
Soon after, police spotted a dead iguana and called the SPCA.
"We've had complaints for the last few years regarding this place but we were never allowed inside property to observe anything," said Bengal.
The owner of the home was taken to a local hospital after complaining of chest pains.
Neighbors say that the owner of the home is troubled and often pretends to be a CIA agent, outfitting his home with an elaborate video recording system.
Authorities say that he'll undergo a psychological evaluation.
The owner's name has not been released but he will face animal cruelty charges.
