MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — The mother of an infant girl who was seriously injured during a Morris County police department's community event is suing that police department.
According to the suit, the incident happened in August 2025 at the Florham Park Police Department's "National Night Out," a nationwide event meant to connect law enforcement and residents. The event often entails the community, usually children, interacting with police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and their equipment and vehicles.
During the event, a Florham Park police officer placed the plaintiff's daughter, an infant, on the seat of a motorcycle that had recently been running, according to the suit.
The girl's bare leg then touched the bike's exhaust, which "maintained an unsafe temperature sufficient to cause serious burns upon contact with exposed skin," according to court documents.
As a result, the infant suffered a serious burn to her right leg, permanent scarring, and disfigurement, the suit reads.
The girl's mother claims that the police officer should have been familiar enough with the motorcycle to know that its exhaust pipe was capable of causing such injuries.
Specifically, she says the officer was negligent and failed to "exercise reasonable care under the circumstances."
She is seeking compensatory damages, attorneys' fees, and costs of suit.
Patch has reached out to the Florham Park Police Department, whose representatives were not immediately available for comment.
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