Chances are if there was a drug case in the Lehigh Valley involving the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, Robert Rosner was the man who handled it.

Rosner, a deputy attorney general who worked out of the Allentown office, was one of the victims in Monday's fiery fatal crash on Interstate 78 in Berks County near the Lehigh County border, county District Attorney Jim Martin said today.

Rosner previously worked as a Lehigh County deputy district attorney and a special assistant U.S. attorney.

"Bob Rosner was a true public servant; a Marine, who began his career as a police officer, went to law school, and served dutifully as a deputy attorney general," Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane said this morning in a prepared statement. "He was an American hero who lived the American dream. Our hearts hang heavy over his passing and our thoughts and prayers are with the Rosner family."

Martin paused to compose himself this morning as he asked for a moment of silence for Rosner during a commendation ceremony for Allentown police officers. Martin said he didn't know the details of the crash that claimed Rosner, but in his mind Rosner was killed in the line of duty.

Rosner first worked in Martin's office as an intern, and then joined the office as an assistant district attorney until he eventually worked in the auto theft and insurance fraud task forces.

"He was certainly a gentleman and professional. We'll miss him," Martin said.

It was fitting Rosner was remembered at this morning's ceremony, since he started out as a cop in Warwick Township in Bucks County.

"The first time I met Bob I was a DA in Bucks County and he was a cop," Northampton County First Assistant District Attorney Terry Houck said.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane says Robert Rosner "was an American hero who lived the American dream."

The two first worked together on a cold-case homicide, Houck said, the 1979 killing of a bartender. In 1991 Robert Maser pleaded guilty to the crime.

Eventually Rosner went to law school, and he and Houck worked together as assistant district attorneys in Lehigh County.

"He was a very level-headed prosecutor, very meticulous in his work ethic. He didn't let his feelings get in the way of the smart thing to do," Houck said. "He was a guy that was a tireless worker. I never once heard him say he was too busy or couldn't handle something. He was never that type of guy."

Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Terry Houck said Robert Rosner was committed to his job and to his family.

Houck said Rosner was a good man who was liked and respected by everyone -- defense attorneys, prosecutors, police officers. He was also a married man with two sons whose family always came first, Houck said.

"I'm going to miss him. We're going to miss him as a prosecutor but most importantly we're going to miss him as a person, as a man," Houck said.