This is the moment police officers rescued a distressed raccoon with a mayonnaise jar stuck on its head in Ohio.

Painesville Police Department staff were dispatched to the Bank Street area following reports of a 'masked bandit with a mayo jar stuck on its head' early morning on July 13.

Traffic cam footage shows Officers Chad Balausky and Steve Ettinger chasing the critter as it darted across the street wearing the empty container.

They managed to pin it down using a catch pole and pulled the jar off its head. The animal was then seen zipping away, giving the intern Gill a fright when it shot past his legs.

Painesville Police Department said: 'Early morning hours of Thursday, July 13, sightings of a masked bandit with a mayo jar stuck on its head were reported in the Bank Street area near E Walnut Avenue. Officers Chad Balausky and Steve Ettinger rescued the distressed raccoon, while police intern Gill added a little hop to his step.

'You never know what you'll see on night shift.'