Coping with a fussy baby or an infant with colic can be overwhelming. New parents are instructed to place their baby in a safe place and step away to cool down if they start to feel out of control. Shockingly, a fire chief dad recently admitted to throwing his 3-month-old daughter on the ground when she wouldn’t stop crying, fracturing her skull in the process.
Falls Township Fire Chief Brian Salt, 36, was arrested following his baby’s injuries. Not only has he been “suspended indefinitely” from his job but Salt is also facing serious charges in Pennsylvania. Let’s take a closer look at the case.
The Falls Township Police Department responded to a call in mid-March.
On March 12, 2025, the Falls Township Police Department responded to a report at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia of an infant with a skull fracture, according to a complaint shared with People. Detective Dennis O’Connell spoke with a doctor about the fracture, which was “caused by substantial force.” Additionally, the infant had blood in her eye and bruising on her right leg.
At first, the father claimed not to know how the baby was injured.
O’Connell later spoke with Salt and his wife, Rebecca. They explained the baby was left in Salt’s care at 7:30 a.m. March 11, according to the complaint, People reported.
After Salt “could not console her from crying,” he said he took the baby to his in-laws’ home. There, he “noticed” an “unexplained bump” on the back of the infant’s head. Neither Salt nor Rebecca could “articulate how the injury occurred.”
Salt admitted more than a week later what really happened.
On March 20, Salt told police the real story. The baby allegedly “immediately became fussy and inconsolable” after she awakened from a nap on March 11, per People.
O’Connell explained, via NBC Philadelphia, “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.”
The dad said he ‘lost control,’ throwing his 3-month-old daughter.
According to the complaint, Salt said he “lost control over her uncontrolled crying.” He then took his daughter to in-laws’ place and pretended to discover the injury there.
“In his own words, he just kind of lost control. Lost his cool,” O’Connell said, per WPVI. “And in the process of actually picking her up from a swing, he took her out of the swing and then threw her to the ground.”
After speaking with O’Connell, Salt was arrested. He was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated assault, People reported. The baby has since been released from the hospital.
Since the incident, Salt has been ‘suspended indefinitely’ from the fire company.
The Falls Township Fire Company announced that Salt has been “suspended indefinitely pending the outcome of the legal proceedings,” according to a March 21 Facebook post.
“During this challenging time, our thoughts and prayers are with the Salt family,” the statement added.
The department continued, “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, and we will continue to support our firefighters and their families through this challenging time.”
Additionally, Salt was placed on administrative leave from his paid firefighter/EMT job for Northampton Township, per ABC Philadelphia.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
