MIDDLE TOWNSHIP - A snake that slithered into Atlantic City Electric substation equipment on Monday caused a power outage that affected more than 3,400 customers.

Power was restored to customers by mid afternoon, according to an Atlantic City Electric outage map on the utility's website.

Atlantic City Electric spokeswoman Sandra May said more than 3,400 customers in Middle Township and another 71 in Lower Township were initially without power. The cause: a feeder line that was tripped by a wild snake around 11:07 a.m.

The outage stretched all the way to Stone Harbor, according to the outage map.

The Cape May County Courthouse lost power around 11:30 a.m., prompting a forced evacuation of the building. The outage affected numerous county offices, including the Clerk's Office and the Crest Haven Complex.

May said wildlife has caused power outages in the past, but this case was unusual.

"All types of animals can cause outages. But normally it's a squirrel," she said.