A New York State Police trooper found himself on the wrong end of a fender bender on May 21, 2026, when dashcam footage captured the moment he rear-ended a civilian vehicle in Guilderland. The video, obtained by CBS6, shows the collision playing out in the kind of awkward slow-motion irony that practically writes its own punchline. The officer had reportedly been attempting to pull the driver over when traffic came to a stop, and the trooper’s cruiser made contact with the car ahead. Nobody was hurt, no tickets were handed out, and now the whole thing is on the internet.
The incident happened around 8:45 a.m. as both vehicles were exiting the Northway (I-87) onto Western Avenue, heading eastbound. Traffic stopped, the trooper did not stop quite fast enough, and the result was a collision caught on camera by the very driver who was about to get pulled over. After the crash, the trooper reportedly walked up to the driver and told him he had been about to issue him a traffic stop. That is one way to break the ice.
For most people, getting rear-ended is already a frustrating experience. Getting rear-ended by the cop who was trying to pull you over adds a layer of disbelief that even the best screenwriters might have trouble pitching with a straight face. To be clear, both parties walked away from this without injury, which takes the edge off the absurdity and makes it easier to appreciate just how unusual this situation really was…