Dashcam Captures Tree Fall on Police Officer in Ringwood, New Jersey

As Officer Faber pushes branches out of the two-lane road, a tree comes toppling down

A police officer trying to clear a tree branch from a New Jersey road was caught on his own dashcam running from a tree Friday as it toppled into the road and knocked him to the ground. 

Officer Douglas Faber broke his wrist and had to get 13 stitches after he tried to move a fallen tree branch on Greenwood Lake Turnpike in Ringwood about 5:30 a.m., according to The Bergen Record.

Footage from the officer’s dash cam shows Faber, who was working the overnight shift, walking into the road and attempting to move the large fallen branch, which was blocking about half of the roadway.

As Faber pushes the branches out of the two-lane road, the tree comes toppling down. He attempts to run away, but a branch catches him on the head and knocks him to the ground.

A second officer can be seen rushing to help Faber, who grabs his head. The pair then walk out of the frame.

Police Chief Joseph Walker said that Faber should pull through just fine.

"I'm just glad he's OK and had a reaction to run as good as he did," Walker said. 

It's not clear how much the tree weighed. It was moved by the middle of the day. 

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