Robert A. Johnston saved Julianne Atwater from burning, Florham Park, New Jersey, March 28, 1972. When her two-door sedan was involved in a highway accident and its fuel tank was ruptured, Miss Atwater, 21, was dazed by head lacerations and remained in the driver’s seat as flames broke out at the rear of the vehicle. Johnston, 38, truckdriver, ran to the sedan and opened the passenger door. The rear section of the vehicle was afire, and flames were within inches of Miss Atwater’s head. Extending his upper body into the sedan, Johnston released Miss Atwater’s seat belt and shoulder harness. With some difficulty he pulled her to the door and through it onto the pavement. Johnston dragged Miss Atwater away from the sedan, which soon afterward was engulfed by a burst of flames. 52564-5994
52564 – 5994
52564-5994Obituary
Robert A. Johnston, of Mine Hill, N.J., died on Aug. 24, 2008, at St. Clare’s Hospital in Denville, N.J. He was 75.
Born and raised in Kenvil, N.J., he lived in Wharton, N.J., for 15 years before moving to Mine Hill in 1969. Johnston was a truck driver for County Concrete of Kenvil for 37 years, retiring in 2004. He was an Air Force veteran of the Korean War and a member of the Wharton American Legion Post 91. He was a member of AARP.
(Edited from an obituary on DailyRecord.com, Aug. 30, 2008.)