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Residents press Old Tappan for action on growing deer collisions and disease risk
Summary
Multiple residents urged the borough to address mounting deer-vehicle collisions, insurance impacts and Lyme disease risk; council agreed to invite a DEP wildlife biologist to a September briefing to outline humane and technical options.
Two residents told the council they have experienced repeated deer-related vehicle collisions and urged coordinated, regional action to reduce crashes and disease exposure.
Julian Clapowicz, who provided his address and identified himself as a physician, described multiple family collisions and said his insurance was recently dropped after repeated incidents. "Enough accidents so that my insurance dropped this last week," he said, and asked whether the borough would consider options beyond local measures. Clapowicz recommended the council invite a county or DEP wildlife expert to explain management choices, noting that options like relocation, sterilization or controlled hunts each have constraints in a suburban borough where houses are close together.
Mayor and council agreed the problem is regional and said they will invite a DEP wildlife management biologist to a council meeting (likely in September) to present available options and trade-offs. The mayor said he would also press county officials for regional coordination. No action was taken at the July meeting other than scheduling the expert briefing.
