Overview

• The oak branch fell around 8 a.m. Thursday near Sussex Road and Churchill Road, blocking the street and striking three pedestrians and a passing car.
• Two women aged 44 and 45 trapped beneath the limb were hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, while a 50-year-old pedestrian and a Tesla driver sustained minor harm and the driver’s daughter was uninjured.
• Police officers and a bystander from a private tree service used chainsaws to free the trapped women before Teaneck Department of Public Works and PSEG utility crews arrived to clear the scene.
• Authorities observed extensive internal decay in the tree and have launched an inquiry to determine if natural deterioration triggered the collapse.
• A private arborist crew has begun removing the remaining trunk from a nearby backyard and township officials are reviewing whether the homeowner may face code violations.