A deer fell off the Garden State Parkway and crushed NJ driver’s SUV

✅A deer fell from a Garden State Parkway overpass onto an SUV below

✅The 44-year-old Hackensack driver was not seriously hurt

✅Police said the deer died and animal control removed it from the scene

PARAMUS — A deer fell from a Garden State Parkway overpass onto an SUV on Tuesday evening — a frightening experience but one that the driver was able to walk away from.

A 44-year-old Hackensack woman was driving her 2025 Hyundai Tucson north on Paramus Road when the deer leaped over a concrete barrier on the overpass and fell to the road below, Paramus Police Chief Robert M. Guidetti said.

The impact caused significant damage, including to the door, trapping the driver inside. An officer had to help the driver get out.

The driver was not seriously injured. Tthe deer was found dead along the road. No other vehicle was involved in the crash.

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Map shows Garden State Parkway overpass at Paramus Road in Paramus

Bergen County deer activity increases in June

Guidetti did not speculate how the deer got onto the Parkway but the road passes through Saddle River County Park along the southbound lanes just past Paramus Avenue. Animal control removed the deer.

Deer can be common in Bergen County in June as newborn fawns begin to emerge, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Deer impacts can be dangerous for vehicles, as we've reported in recent years. Here are some important do's and don'ts when encountering a deer on the road.

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