SURPRISE, Ariz. -- A large desert tortoise's quiet life quickly veered into the fast lane on Friday when it crawled down a busy city street in Surprise, Ariz., and posed a safety hazard to motorists, Phoenix television news station KPHO reported.

A motorist called police at about 12:45 p.m. reporting she had observed the creature crawling down Market Street near Desert Rock Drive.

Animal control officers arrived, rescued the tortoise and moved it to the department's animal holding area, said Sgt. Mark Ortega.

The 70-pound tortoise was unharmed.

It turns out the tortoise -- named Hercules -- is someone's pet and he was eventually reunited with his owner.

Kenny McQueen said Hercules pushed through the back gate and made it across three streets before he was found.

McQueen said he and his family weren't home at the time. They were at the Phoenix Zoo, looking at Galapagos turtles.

"And the kids were saying, 'Wow -- that looks like Hercules,'" McQueen said. "Very ironic that of all the days for him to escape, we were out looking at other turtles. It's very bizarre."

Animal control officers said this was the first time they can remember ever receiving a call about a large tortoise in the road.

They said they fielded calls from many people claiming to be Hercules' owner. But McQueen was the only one who knew about a flat spot on the tortoise's shell.

He said it comes from years of Hercules crawling underneath the fence.