Frabbiele was “pawsitively surprised,” the post reads.
"He found a safe place to pull over and snapped the other two photos of the hitchhiker," according to the post.
The raccoon safely hopped off the van and Frabbiele continued to the accident scene, department spokesman Lt. Howard Black told the Denver Post.
“How in the world did that raccoon hop on?” Black said. “It’s safe to say a raccoon hopping is not a common occurrence.”
The Post reported that raccoons are prevalent in the Colorado Springs area, but they are typically found sniffing around garbage cans or hiding in residents' attics, crawl spaces or basements.
The department’s Facebook followers expressed shock and awe over the photos.
“I love this,” one woman wrote. “Did the raccoon get a ticket for obstructing, failure to yield or hitchhiking? Thanks, CSPD!”
“The raccoon had waited hours for an officer to respond to his call for service, and he wasn’t about to let the officer go until his issue had been resolved,” another commenter wrote.
One woman expressed concern that the officer was on his cellphone while driving.
“Trash pandas are cute, though,” she wrote.
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