NJ cop blasted online after deer crash — but body cam reveals a very different story

I’m going to be honest with you: I’m scared to death of a deer hitting my car. It happened to me once on I-195 and has only made me more paranoid than I already was.

As crazy as a deer strike can be, what happened afterwards in Ocean Township/Waretown was even crazier.

Police Officer Russell Moller recently responded to a deer-car collision and was later trolled on social media.

A citizen who had come upon the scene went on a rant about the officer:

INSTEAD OF HAVING A TINY BIT OF COMPASSION THIS POWER TRIPPING WARETOWN COP THINKS HE CAN GET AWAY WITH TELLING 50 YEAR RESIDENTS THEY CAN HAUL ASS & STAY AWAY!!! HE PULLS UP & STARTS BEATING HIS LILCHEST LIKE HES A BAD ASS TELLS MY WIFE & HER GIRL FRIEND TO HAUL ASS!! I SHOW UP SHORTLY AFTER ‹ HEAR HIM SCREAMING AT ME

It went on from there, but this painted quite a picture of a hothead cop. The problem? It wasn’t true.

Police chief reveals what really happened

Police Chief Michal Rogalski looked into the matter concerning the angry message and ended up not only defending his officer but also releasing the body cam video to show just how professional and compassionate Moller was in the incident.

“Given the severity of the allegations-accusations of misconduct, intimidation, and a lack of compassion, I have made the decision to release the video so that the public may view it firsthand,” Rogalski wrote on Facebook.

“I want our residents to be able to compare the claims made on social media with the actual events as they occurred.”

In the video you see him reassuring people at the scene that he would take over custody of the injured deer, and you see and hear him actually comforting the animal. He was a professional public servant throughout the ordeal.

Chief Rogalski describes Moller as the “kind of officer who would give you the shirt off his back, bring you a cup of coffee on a cold morning without being asked, or wear a donut costume on Halloween just to make neighborhood kids smile. He has built his reputation on kindness, professionalism, and service.”

In a time when too many bosses react without having the full story it’s good to see this police chief have his officer’s back.

We need more of that.

(And fewer deer.)

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

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