A reptile specialist leading the search for a snake on the loose in Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey has revealed that the mysterious snake is actually a green anaconda, not a boa constrictor like it was originally claimed by officials, CBS News reported. In order to avoid sparking panic, he was allegedly "sworn to secrecy" by a local animal control official.

Gerald Andrejcak told NJ.com that he originally reported the fugitive snake - which has terrorized the community around Lake Hopatcong for most of the summer - as a boa constrictor, but only because he was following orders. "It's a green anaconda," Andrejcak told the news site. "I've known its species (since last week), but I was sworn to keep my mouth shut by local officials to avoid causing panic. Now that there's a panic, I'm going on the record."

The snake, which was described to be about 16 feet long with a head the size of a hand, was first spotted by Andrejcak at a boat house of a lakefront property Thursday, but it slipped past his leg right after he dove into the water.

Andrejcak, who has more than 20 years' experience handling large snakes, claimed to have just been stretching the truth without lying "because it's a member of the boa family," New York Daily News reported. After being recruited by Hopatcong control officer Dale Sloat to join the hunt a week ago, he told them that they should be searching for an anaconda. But he was allegedly told to keep quiet as to not cause any alarm within residents.

Several people, mostly swimmers and boaters, have reported seeing the snake since June. "It's scary because you don't know where he's creeping from, so we just want it caught," Resident Michelle Poli told CBS 2′s Tracee Carrasco last week.

Sloat believes the snake was likely someone's pet, and was released into the water when it became too big to care for. "We have to catch it," Sloat told Carrasco. "What we're afraid of is the animals, small dogs, cats, raccoons - and I would advise people not to put their baby in the lake. A snake this size can probably swim about 25 miles an hour."

Green anacondas can grow to be as large as 29 feet and 550 pounds, according to NationalGeographic.com. So far, the snake has become New Jersey's version of the Loch Ness Monster, alluding capture despite various sightings.