The Wall Township Police Department donated money Tuesday to a charity founded by the grandson of Gen. George S. Patton.

Patrolman Mike Malone led the fundraising efforts to build a statue of Gen. Harry Rockafeller, a two-star general and World War II hero who lived in Wall Township.

Rockafeller died in 2017 at 100 years old. Rockafeller and Malone met and became close friends in 2012.

Money for Rockafeller's statue came in quickly and surpassed the cost of the statue. Malone decided the extra money would be donated to veterans charities.

Malone presented a check to Gen. George S. Patton's grandson, Benjamin Patton, for $10,000 on Tuesday. Patton is the founder of the Patton Veterans Project, through which he holds filmmaking classes for veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder.

"We felt this was a great way to have Harry's legacy live on, to assist the Patton Veterans Project and we're grateful Ben was able to come down here to Wall Township to see this memorial for himself," says Malone.

"It's a very significant statue and memorial about a critical point in a critical war," says Patton.

With the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, Malone says he couldn't think of a more fitting tribute than to have a Patton and a Rockafeller reunited in Wall.

More than $60,000 of extra donations for the statue have already been handed out to veterans charities by the Wall Township PBA.