New Jersey teen earns rare ROTC award after rescuing two crash victims with parents

Haddad’s rescue earned him a rare national honour, marking a historic first for New Jersey’s ROTC programme. 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. Haddad, who lived in Pilesgrove, was then a cadet lieutenant colonel preparing to graduate from Salem County Vocational Technical High School.When the family came upon the crash, two occupants remained trapped inside the vehicle. Haddad and his parents rushed to help, working together to pull the victims free.The rescue would soon draw attention beyond the i...