What to Know
- Peter Kamper Jr., 40, was a sergeant with the Pompton Lakes Police Department; his father is a retired sergeant with the nearby Wayne force
- Kamper was on his way home from work and had been on his 2001 Harley Davidson for maybe 2 minutes when he hit the deer, authorities said
- A doctor was among citizens who heard the crash and tried to help him, but he died a short time after being taken to the hospital
A 40-year-old New Jersey police sergeant died in a motorcycle collision with a deer early Wednesday less than five minutes after he had gotten on his bike to go home from work, authorities say.
Peter Kamper Jr., a sergeant with the Pompton Lakes Police Department, had been on his 2001 Harley Davidson for maybe two minutes when he hit the deer on Lakeside Avenue in Wayne shortly after midnight, a police spokesman said.
Kamper was thrown from the motorcycle.
People who live nearby heard the crash and went out to check on him, according to police; they found him unresponsive at the scene. One of those people was a doctor who tried to help Kamper until first responders arrived.
Paramedics took Kamper to Saint Joseph's Medical Center in Paterson, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. An investigation is ongoing.
It wasn't immediately clear how long Kamper had been on the force. An official says his father is a retired police sergeant with the nearby force in Wayne.
Local
The New Jersey State PBA mourned his death in a tweet Wednesday.
"President Colligan -- We are all devastated at the loss of Pompton Lakes Sgt Peter J. Kamper Jr. Pray for family, friends and Department," the statement said.
