A 14-year law enforcement veteran killed himself behind his police station overnight.
Authorities say Ewing Township (N.J.) police officer committed suicide in a parking lot behind police headquarters on Jake Garzio Drive.
Mercer County prosecutors say 39-year-old Matthew Wallace was found around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday at the town's municipal complex. They say the 14-year law enforcement veteran shot himself to death, but further details were not disclosed.
"I knew Matthew for a very long time. I coached him in soccer since he was 7 years old,"
Ewing Mayor Bert Steinmann told the Trenton Times. "It's a tragedy and it's a tremendous loss not only for the department but also for the community."
Wallace's family was told of his death this morning.
Wallace was one of five Ewing officers who helped rescue a 79-year-old woman from a burning home in 2008 by carrying her in a wheelchair from the flames.
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"Patrolman Matt Wallace was a well-respected and well-liked member of the Ewing Police Department," Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph Bocchini, Jr. said. "Matt was a caring and dedicated police officer who served the Ewing Police Department with distinction. He was known as being the first person to volunteer for assignments and no job was ever too tough for him to handle. He will be greatly missed."
