A Morris County mother is suing the Borough of Florham Park and its police department after she says an officer placed her infant on a police motorcycle during last year's National Night Out, leaving the child with a severe burn and permanent scarring. Nicole Scarpa had brought her baby to the annual community event when the alleged injury occurred on August 5, 2025.
According to a civil complaint filed August 31 in Morris County Superior Court, the incident happened at Volunteers Memorial Park at 37 Elm Street, where the Borough of Florham Park hosts its annual National Night Out with police vehicle displays and demonstrations for families. The lawsuit, first reported by the Bergen Record, names the borough, the Florham Park Police Department, and unidentified individual officers as defendants. The child is identified in court papers only by the initials V.S., and the filing does not specify the child's exact age.
The complaint alleges that a police officer placed the child on a department motorcycle while officers were showing off vehicles to families at the event, and that the motorcycle's hot exhaust system caused a severe burn to the child's right leg. Per the filing, the injury resulted in permanent scarring and disfigurement, according to the same account cited by the Bergen Record. The lawsuit was filed in the Law Division of Morris County Superior Court, as reported by WRNJ Radio.
Municipal Negligence Claims at the Core of the Suit
Court filings described by WRNJ Radio allege that Florham Park and its police department failed to establish safety protocols regarding children around police vehicles and failed to train personnel on the hazards posed by motorcycle exhaust during public events. The complaint seeks compensatory damages along with pre- and post-judgment interest, according to the same filing.
The physical mechanism behind the alleged injury is well documented outside the courtroom. Motorcycle exhaust systems routinely operate between 300 and over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit during active use, hot enough to inflict second- or third-degree burns within seconds of skin contact, according to Radiant Cycles. Clinical and burn center research compiled by the Metier Law Firm shows roughly 65% of motorcycle exhaust burns cause second- or third-degree tissue damage, with children making up a disproportionately high share of victims and the lower right leg the most commonly injured site.
New Jersey's Notice Rules for Suing Government Bodies
Any lawsuit against a New Jersey municipality or police department must clear a procedural hurdle first. Under the New Jersey Tort Claims Act, plaintiffs generally must serve a formal written Notice of Claim within 90 days of the injury before filing suit, and missing that deadline typically bars recovery against a government body, according to the ASK Law Firm. It remains unclear whether Scarpa filed a timely Tort Claims Act notice following the 2025 incident.
For claims involving minors, the timeline differs from the standard rule. New Jersey's usual two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims is tolled until a child turns 18, meaning minors generally have until age 20 to sue, per Grungo Law. Whether the specific officer involved in the Florham Park incident has been identified in court filings has not been reported.
Part of a Wider Pattern at Police Outreach Events
The Florham Park case is not the only New Jersey lawsuit this month tied to a National Night Out demonstration gone wrong. Hoodline previously reported that the City of Wildwood and its police department are facing a separate lawsuit after an 11-year-old driving a simulation golf cart during a drunk-driving demonstration at a 2024 National Night Out event injured bystanders.
National Night Out was established in 1984 by the National Association of Town Watch and is held nationwide on the first Tuesday of August to build trust between law enforcement and local communities, with millions of residents participating in police outreach events across the country each year. How the Borough of Florham Park or its police department plan to respond to the allegations, or whether they will adjust safety guidelines for future public equipment demonstrations, has not been reported.
