WATCH: Deer Tries To Climb Into Howell Woman's Truck

HOWELL, NJ — "Move over, lady, I'm driving." That would appear to be the intent of a deer that was caught on video trying to climb into the driver's side of a Howell woman's truck on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The incident was caught on the dash camera of Howell Patrolman Nicholas Austin, Detective Sgt. Christian Antunez said.

Austin was responding to a call about 8 p.m. that Saturday, and as he was driving along Oak Glen Road about a mile west of Route 547, he saw a deer cross the road several hundred feet in front of him, from right to left, Antunez said.

Ellen Sager, 43, of Howell, was driving a 2008 GMC Envoy ahead of Austin, and the patrolman wasn't sure at first whether she had hit the deer until she pulled over, Antunez said.

As Austin pulled over to assist Sager, the deer came running back from the left, and the scene caught on video played out: As Sager opened her door, the deer attempted to jump into the truck, and Sager had to fight to get the large deer out.

Austin sounds very calm as he's reporting the incident to a dispatcher:

"It was bad, it was real bad," Sager told News12 New Jersey. "It was definitely trying to get in."

"It all happened so fast," she said. "I just grabbed a handful of antlers and tried to keep him from killing me."

Sager suffered a minor injury to her knee as a result of the scuffle, Antunez said. Her vehicle was dented where the deer hit it.

Unfortunately, the deer, which appeared to be a 6-point buck, did not survive, he said.

"I have never seen anything quite like this," Austin, the patrolman, told News12. "I'm glad that I did see it because if I didn't I wouldn't have been able to believe it actually happened."

Fall is the time of year when deer-vehicle encounters become more common; a six-car crash on Route 295 over the weekend was blamed on a deer, according to a report on NJ.com

The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority offers these tips:

• Always wear a seatbelt/motorcycle helmet.
• Stay alert and focused on the task of driving.
• Keep vehicle headlights clean and properly aligned.
• Use high beams at night when no vehicles are approaching from the opposite direction. Do not use fog lights in dry weather conditions, as these lights can blind oncoming motorists.
• If you see a deer, slow down; if there is one, there may be others following.
• Don't swerve. If a crash in unavoidable, brake hard, hold on to the steering wheel, and bring the vehicle to a controlled stop.

Photo from dashcam video, provided by Howell Township Police