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Island Heights Patrolman Mellott saw the frantic mom outside of her vehicle on River Avenue, saying she had just secured her child in to a car seat but accidentally locked her keys inside the vehicle on July 12.
Mellott quickly requested first aid as a precaution, as well as dispatching a duty tow truck to preform a lock out kit on the car.
After minutes passed, Mellott noticed the child starting to sweat.
From his training and experience, the officer knew that the child could be in grave danger from the heat.
With the consent of the mother, Mellott broke the window of the vehicle allowing him to open the door and retrieve the child. First aid arrived shortly after to clear the child of any medical issues.
"As if rescuing a child wasn’t good enough, Patrolman Mellott went above and beyond the call," his department said.
"After speaking with the mother who was extremely grateful of his valiant effort, she spoke of financial difficulties as to how she would repair her window."
Without hesitation, Mellot made arrangements to pay for her window, with help from the Island Heights PBA and the Island Heights First Aid squad, who donated enough funds to help cover the costs of a new window.
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