"Heroes Live Forever" - the story of New Jersey State Police Detective Albert J. Mallen Sr.

In one of New Jersey's biggest narcotics cases ever, State Police Det. Albert J. Mallen Sr. was shot and killed. His death sparked a local memorial service that has been held for the last 40 years.

Detective Albert J. Mallen Sr.

McLean, VA (July 22, 2025) - On the night of August 28, 1985, with 14 years of distinguished police service under his belt, New Jersey State Police Det. Albert J. Mallen Sr. was working on one of the biggest narcotics cases in state history. A drug raid was planned. The target was a modest home in a New Jersey suburb, which was suspected of being one of the laboratories in a multimillion-dollar methamphetamine operation controlled by organized crime in the Philadelphia-Atlantic City area. During the raid, Det. Mallen was hit in the face with a shotgun blast at close range. He died at the scene. He was 36-years-old when he died. He was the first plainclothes New Jersey State Police officer ever to be killed in the line of duty. In addition to his wife, Peggy, he was survived by three children: Albert Jr., Jennifer, and Michael. The community near Atlantic City, where he lived, was devastated by his death. An estimated 3,000 mourners showed up at the funeral. And a few months after his death, the first Cape/Atlantic Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service and Breakfast was held to commemorate Det. Mallen’s death and other fallen law enforcement heroes from the area. It has become a cherished annual tradition that has continued for the last 40 years.

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