Dad Frank Roder Saves Boy Before Car Plunges Down cliff -- And Gets 2 Traffic Tickets

**Whisper** · May 22nd, 2012, 09:57 PM

A New Jersey dad got the scare of his life when his 5-year-old son almost ran off a steep embankment, and though the man saved the boy from falling, he couldn't stop his Jeep from going over the precipice and into a river below.

The reward for his ordeal? Two traffic tickets from local police.

Frank Roder, a construction worker from the town of Winfield Park, had taken his son, Aidan, down to the Rahway River to feed ducks Thursday. But when he stopped briefly before settling on a parking space, the impatient boy jumped out and took off -- straight toward a ledge 35 feet above the river, Roder recalled.

"He hopped out, and I thought that was OK, I was just going to park," Roder, 38, said, but "he just took off, made a beeline for the edge."

The panic-stricken father jumped out of the cab of his 2006 Jeep Commander and raced after the errant boy, catching him just feet from the edge.

That's when Aidan, eyes as big as saucers, looked behind Roder and said, "Um, Daddy ..."

Roder turned in time to see the Jeep nosedive down the embankment and land in the muddy water.

Roder hugged the boy and waited as Union County police converged on the scene over the next few hours. A crane pulled the Jeep out, and amazingly, it started right up, [...]

He was counting his blessings when a young cop approached him and handed him two tickets. One was for failure to produce the insurance card, which was somewhere in the waterlogged cab. The other was for failing to use his emergency brake.

"I couldn't believe it," Roder said. "He said, 'If you would have taken the five seconds to apply the brake, this never would have happened!'

"I say, 'Really? And if I did and my boy stepped over the edge and fell instead of the Jeep, then were would I be?' He says, 'Jail, for child endangerment.'"

Too awful to contemplate is the fact the Roder almost took his six-week-old son Joel along for the ride.

"At the last minute, I told my wife to take him," Roder said. "I can't even think about that."
Union County Police Chief Daniel Vaniska told FoxNews.com that his officers have some discretion about when and when not to write a ticket. But he said he just didn't have enough information to second-guess what this officer did.

"It probably could have gone either way," Vaniska said. "I can't comment on the discretionary practices of an officer, but certainly, the fellow will have an opportunity to tell his story in court."

Municipal Court is where Roder might get some sympathy -- and maybe forbearance on those tickets, which are for $50 and $60. His date is May 30.

"I don't care, I'll pay it," Roder said. "It's just the principle. When something like that happens so fast, I could give a rat's a-- about the car."

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/21...#ixzz1veZCk2GE

**VAS1326** · May 23rd, 2012, 03:35 AM

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. You know what they say, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. Good for the dad for caring more about his son than his stupid car.

**Darsa** · May 23rd, 2012, 09:45 AM

If I could afford it, I'd pay the tickets for him, just because he's a dad who cares about his kids above any material shit.

**Aena** · May 23rd, 2012, 09:51 AM

Sorry but the cop was an ass, he had discretion to not write a ticket. One of them is for having no proof of insurance, REALLY? How did the cop expect him to show proof of insurance when his car was in the water? Dad cared more about his kid's life than anything else and gets a couple tickets for it, ridiculous.

**LadyCygnet** · May 23rd, 2012, 09:55 AM

I hope he goes to court and fights the tickets. It's ridiculous that he should have to pay them. Was Barney Fife trying to make his May quota?

**Whisper** · May 23rd, 2012, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by Aena

Sorry but the cop was an ass, he had discretion to not write a ticket. One of them is for having no proof of insurance, REALLY? How did the cop expect him to show proof of insurance when his car was in the water? Dad cared more about his kid's life than anything else and gets a couple tickets for it, ridiculous.

His proof was in the car,
but here yeah you have to have it in car
but if by some chance you dont then I think its 48 hours to bring proof to police station or be charged

**Abroad** · May 23rd, 2012, 02:22 PM

I can just about see a point in fining him for not applying the emergency brake; but fining him for not being able to produce the proof of insurance when the proof was inside the car that was in the water?

**Valasca** · May 23rd, 2012, 02:24 PM

Wait, what? A REAL father? Holy shit!

**Whisper** · May 23rd, 2012, 02:47 PM

I cant see fining him for shit sorry
If that were me Id hope to have done the same thing
He proved his childs more precious then some fucking material object which is what a good parent does
With all the shit we have seen on here about abused and killed babies
many over a fucking object I cant see how anyone can doubt he did the right thing
And shouldnt have been fined but I see fines dropped in the future

**AngelFire** · May 23rd, 2012, 02:51 PM

I bet you this man is finding it quite hard to sleep at night thinking of the day he almost lost his sons. So happy that he reacted fast and his priority was the little tyke.

**JGo555** · May 23rd, 2012, 05:56 PM

Can someone SHOW & READ this to the dude with the 30 kids that is asking for a CHILD SUPPORT break in Tennessee. Because THIS IS WHAT BEING A FATHER IS, not knowing your name & birthday.

**JGo555** · May 23rd, 2012, 05:59 PM

I had something like this happen to me (the tickets, not the plunging car & almost dead child).

I rear ended someone because I thought they were merging so I was looking at merging & turned back & he had stopped.

I had a 1yr old with me in the accident & I WAS MOTHERFUCKING PREGNANT 7 months along.

The douchebag cop gave me a $125 ticket for "tailgating".

Apparently the only way to get ticketed for tailgating in Alberta, Canada is if you get in an accident, not it you're a constant douchebag while driving in the highway WHIL MOTHERFUCKING SPEEDING.

**Obsolete** · May 23rd, 2012, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by JGo555

I had something like this happen to me (the tickets, not the plunging car & almost dead child).

I rear ended someone because I thought they were merging so I was looking at merging & turned back & he had stopped.

I had a 1yr old with me in the accident & I WAS MOTHERFUCKING PREGNANT 7 months along.

The douchebag cop gave me a $125 ticket for "tailgating".

Apparently the only way to get ticketed for tailgating in Alberta, Canada is if you get in an accident, not it you're a constant douchebag while driving in the highway WHIL MOTHERFUCKING SPEEDING.

Yea but as sucky as it is, that was a legit ticket because you were traveling too close to the car in front of you. This guy wasn't doing anything negligent, and his "oops" moment didn't result in damage to anyone else. The cop is an ass for sure.

**Marv** · May 23rd, 2012, 06:23 PM

jeez, not even the Chinese cops hand out fines for not applying the emergency brake when jumping out to save your childs life! And the Chinese incident was at a busy junction:

http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/s...o-who-fell-out

I sincerely hope the fines are thrown out, and that the cop in question learns a lesson in using his discretion. (did I just make a rap?!)

**Silvahalo** · May 23rd, 2012, 06:24 PM

I'm only surprised that he was ticketed for the unfortunate chain of events. But what he did is what a father is supposed to do. Sometimes I have to remind myself of what IS expected. I read on here way too much.

Good ending nevertheless, very happy for that.
My bet is the judge will give him a pass.

**Obsolete** · May 23rd, 2012, 06:34 PM

You know, if he had the infant in the car with him this would have had ended tragically. The only reason it didn't end tragically was pure luck. Did he do what any good father would do by running after his son? Yes. But at the same time his car could have hit someone elses child as it rolled towards the cliff. What I want to know if how his 5 yr old was able to jump out of the car so quickly without his father stopping him? Was he not in a car seat? If he had been properly restrained this would have never happened.

**Silvahalo** · May 23rd, 2012, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by Obsolete

You know, if he had the infant in the car with him this would have had ended tragically. The only reason it didn't end tragically was pure luck. Did he do what any good father would do by running after his son? Yes. But at the same time his car could have hit someone elses child as it rolled towards the cliff. What I want to know if how his 5 yr old was able to jump out of the car so quickly without his father stopping him? Was he not in a car seat? If he had been properly restrained this would have never happened.

My 4yo is well restrained in his car seat but as it goes, most kiddo's that age can get out of car seats in a flash.

First time it happened I was at a stop light he tapped my shoulder and I did a double take, wtf are you doing out of your car seat is what I wanted to say.
He was all smiles with his new feat. I was not impressed but at least I was able to impress on him how very important it is for him to stay buckled at all times.

But when he stopped briefly before settling on a parking space, the impatient boy jumped out and took off -- straight toward a ledge 35 feet above the river, Roder recalled.

The father stopped briefly (not sure how long that means), the car as he was looking for a parking space. The kid was impatient and jumped out, probably had unrestrained himself well before that. He sounds a lot like my older boy when he was that age who I had to threaten I would tape to the car seat to keep him safe.