March 20, 2025

Officer Allatt received the inaugural Bridgewater Township “Mayor’s Award for Exceptional Public Service,” an official proclamation commending him for his actions on behalf of the people of Bridgewater, and the “Award of Valor” from the Bridgewater Township Police Department.

“I am thrilled to bestow the first-ever Mayor’s Award for Exceptional Public Service to Bridgewater Police Officer Noah Allatt,” said Mayor Moench. The Exceptional Public Service award recognizes individuals whose dedication and selflessness go above and beyond the call of duty—embodying the very best of public service. “Officer Allatt’s selfless actions serve as an inspiration to every person in Bridgewater. Congratulations, and thank you.”

On Wednesday, March 5th, Officer Allatt responded to an accident on westbound Route 22 between Chimney Rock Road and Vosseller Avenue. A sedan had crashed into the back of a tanker truck which had earlier that day been loaded with a mix of diesel fuel and kerosene. The engine compartment of the car, having collided with the rear of the tanker truck, quickly caught on fire. Though the passenger of the sedan and the driver of the truck were able to extricate themselves from their respective vehicles, the driver of the sedan was unconscious and remained in the car as the engine compartment burned.

Officer Allatt quickly assessed the situation as soon as he arrived on the scene. He learned from the truck driver that the tanker, though empty, had last contained highly flammable liquids. He also learned from the sedan passenger that the driver was still in the vehicle.

With complete disregard for his own safety, Officer Allatt sprinted to the inflamed sedan from the passenger side, assessed the state of the driver, moved back around the vehicle, forced the damaged driver side door open, extricated the unconscious driver, and dragged him clear of the car. Then, with the help of the truck driver, he dragged the sedan driver further away from the car to a safe distance, before calling on his radio to keep his dispatcher informed of events on the ground.

That dispatcher requested that Officer Allatt confirm that no other individuals were in the burning car. Officer Allatt again approached the burning vehicle, and found that the passenger compartment—from which he had extricated the driver only about 70 seconds earlier—was now engulfed in flame. He confirmed that no other people were in the burning vehicle, relayed that confirmation to his dispatcher, and then waited for additional units and agencies to arrive to address the fire.

Thanks to the heroic actions of Officer Allatt, the victim is alive today.

“One of the most important things I do as Mayor is swear in our new police officers, because these are the officers who protect my kids and my family,” said Bridgewater Mayor Matthew Moench. “We never know when one of our officers will be called upon to save our kids from a burning car. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that we honor Noah and all the men and women of the Bridgewater Police Department each and every day of the year.”

“My biggest fear when I was on the road was a car catching on fire with people trapped and I couldn’t help them,” added Bridgewater Police Chief John Mitzak. “So for Officer Allatt to make that split second decision, to make that approach, without knowing if the car or the tanker could blow up, it was heroic.”

The Township published a video honoring Officer Allatt’s heroism which can be found on the Township’s YouTube channel at the following link:

Watch on YouTube here.