The Falls Township Fire Chief, Brian Salt, was suspended after he was arrested and charged for allegedly dropping his three-month-old daughter and fracturing her skull.
A fire chief in Bucks County was charged after dropping his infant daughter and fracturing her skull.
Investigators said that Falls Township Fire Chief Brian Salt admitted to intentionally letting his three-month-old daughter fall from his arms and hitting her head on the ground on March 11.
According to the criminal complaint, he told detectives that he simply "lost control" when his daughter wouldn't stop crying when he was alone with her after his wife left for work.
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After dropping her, documents state that the 36-year-old took his daughter to his in-laws house and claimed that he just found the head injury and did not know how it happened.
"It was divulged during that interview that he in fact had taken the child from what’s being described as a swing forcefully and then took the child out and then threw the child on the ground as being overly frustrated and child wouldn’t stop crying and was being very fussy at the time," Falls Township Police Detective Dennis O'Connell said.
Doctors at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia notified investigators when the child was brought in with a skull fracture.
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The child's mother was at work at the time of the incident, the affidavit said.
Detective O'Connell told NBC10 that Salt also works for Northampton Township Fire as a firefighter and EMT.
"With his knowledge and training with the fire department, working also as a medic, he should clearly know how to deal with any kind of stressful situation, especially something of the this nature when it’s involving your own child," O'Connell said. "These are tough cases. Obviously this is a three-month old which is the smallest of children you’re probably going to deal with. It’s hard for the family and it’s hard for us and we have to speak on their behalf.”
The Falls Township Fire Company said the chief is now suspended.
"We understand the impact this situation has on our community, and we are committed to ensuring transparency as we move forward. The safety and well-being of our community remain our top priority," a statement from the department reads in part.
NBC10 reached out to Northampton officials to talk about Salt's case and to Salt's lawyer, but haven't heard back.
On Friday, March 21, Falls Township Fire Chief Brian Salt faced a judge and was arraigned on several charges. His bail was set at $500,000.
Salt is due back in court next month.
