"The youngest child attempted to help his father and when his father's back was turned, he picked a branch up and fed it into the chipper when he was pulled into the chipper," State Police Lt. Paul Vance said.
Police received a 911 call at 8:45 a.m. reporting that reporting a child had been seriously injured in the yard of a private home.
The fire chief is a neighbor and was the first to respond.
"The family lives right across the street from me. I saw what we had, and I kept everyone away," said Chief Gene Maiorano.
State Police Troop K, the Salem resident State Trooper, the Salem Fire Department and Salem EMS all responded to the scene and are investigating what they said appears to be a tragic accident.