08/19/2026
On August 19, 1955, off-duty Princeton Township Patrolman Billie Ellis gave his life attempting to rescue two 15-year-old boys in Lake Carnegie. Princeton High School students Patrick Maloney and Kenneth Werkman had been canoeing when the force of turbulent waters caused by Hurricane Diane crashed their boat against the concrete dam and knocked them overboard. Onlookers watched as Ellis, reaching for the battered canoe, failed to take hold and struggled with the surging torrent, eight feet above normal. He surfaced four times before disappearing from sight. The three bodies were recovered after a 48-hour search covering almost two miles of the swollen river.
In 1959, a bronze plaque was placed in the main lobby of Township Hall, and in 2010, a granite memorial was unveiled in the Municipal Complex courtyard. Billie Ellis Lane, off Cherry Valley Road, and a section of Route 27 are named in his honor. The Princeton NJ Police Department will hold its annual remembrance service at 10:00 am.
