New Jersey teen helps rescue two, wins state's first JROTC Gold Valor Award
New Jersey teenager Joshua Haddad received the AFJROTC Gold Valor Award for rescuing two people from a wrecked vehicle. He is the first recipient in New Jersey and one of only six nationwide in the last decade.
Why it matters
The story highlights extraordinary youth heroism and the rigorous standards of military-affiliated cadet recognition programs.
Heroism sometimes begins with a simple decision: to stop when others might keep moving. For Joshua Haddad, a New Jersey teenager returning home from church with his family, that moment came beside a wrecked vehicle on a South Jersey road. Two people were trapped inside, and Haddad, alongside his parents, stepped in to help bring them to safety. Months later, the decision has earned him one of the rarest distinctions in the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC), making him the first recipient of its Gold Valor Award in New Jersey.A roadside rescue that changed everythingAccording to Hoodline and 6 ABC Action News, the incident occurred in May 2026 near the intersection of Kings Highway and Auburn Road.
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