July 7, 2015
A 31-year-old Midland Park police officer was killed Monday afternoon in an ATV accident in Pennsylvania, Midland Park Police Chief Michael Powderley said.
Michael Karas/record file photo
Chris Birch at his home in Wyckoff in 2010.
BUCKINGHAM TWP., PA
A 31-year-old New Jersey man died from his injuries after an all-terrain vehicle crash Monday.
Pending notification of family, state police have not released the man’s name but said he had been traveling too fast to negotiate a left curve while riding a 2012 Suzuki King Quad 750 on Equinunk Creek Road.
He was wearing a helmet when he traveled off the berm of the road about 4 p.m. and hit a boulder. He was pronounced dead at the scene, state police said
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Officer Christopher Birch joined the department in January 2007 after spending time in North Haledon as a special police officer, Powderley said.
In Midland Park, he was a traffic officer and a field training officer. He was also in charge of vehicle maintenance and equipment.
“We really relied on Chris,” the chief said. “He excelled in any role that you gave him.”
Birch enjoyed outdoor sports, including fishing and hiking, and was near his family’s vacation home in Pennsylvania at the time of the accident. He recently participated in the department’s leg of the Special Olympics Torch Run and enjoyed developing relationships with residents, especially children.
“Chris had an impact on everybody in our town,” Powderley said.
Birch is survived by his wife, Karen, his parents, James and Donna, and his brother.