Fourth Ward Councilman Brian Tull invites Clark residents to July 4 memorial for Patrolman William J. Wat

Fourth Ward Councilman Brian Tull urged residents to attend a July 4 memorial honoring Patrolman William J. Wat, who was killed in the line of duty on July 4, 1971. The ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at the township monument in Clark.

Tull, speaking in a recorded announcement, said the event is intended to remember Wat’s service and to “never forget his sacrifice to the township.” He asked community members to join Clark PBA 125 and Wat’s surviving family at the ceremony and to continue supporting local first responders.

In his remarks Tull described the circumstances of Wat’s death. He said Wat and a partner were on routine patrol the evening of July 3 when they responded to screaming at the former Howard Johnson’s motor lodge, the site the transcript identifies as now occupied by Shopright on Central Avenue. Tull said the officers pursued a suspect into adjacent woods near the Garden State Parkway and that the suspect opened fire, striking Wat in the heart and side.

Tull said Clark volunteer emergency responders transported Wat to Roy Hospital, where he died while being treated. He added that Wat was interred at Fairview Cemetery on July 7, 1971, and described him as a Clark native who had graduated from Clark High School in 1965, served in the U.S. Marines in Vietnam and later joined the Clark Police Department where his father served as a captain.

Tull provided family details, saying Wat grew up on seven Jenny Lane and that his brother served in the U.S. Marines. The councilman said the memorial typically includes the officer’s surviving sister and brother and asked residents to join the community in honoring Wat’s memory.

The announcement closed with a request that residents continue to support police and other first responders. Tull concluded, “We will never ever forget in this township.”