Hunterdon County prosecutor charges Franklin Township sergeant with misconduct over response to calls before double homicide
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Hunterdon County) – A Franklin Township police sergeant has been charged with official misconduct and tampering with public records in connection with his response to multiple 9-1-1 reports of gunfire on Aug. 1, 2025, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson announced Thursday.
Sgt. Kevin Bollaro of the Franklin Township Police Department is accused of knowingly failing to perform his duties and filing a report with false information, according to a criminal complaint and the prosecutor’s office. He was charged by complaint-summons and is scheduled for a first court appearance Nov. 5, 2025. He is represented by Charles J. Sciarra, Esq. The state is represented by First Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Paravecchia.
Investigators said the charges arose during the probe of an Aug. 2 double homicide at 39 Upper Kingtown Road in the Pittstown section of Franklin Township. Officers responding at about 12:22 p.m. found Lauren Semanchik, 33, of Pittstown, and Tyler Webb, 29, of Forked River, dead of apparent gunshot wounds. Authorities later determined the killings were a targeted act by New Jersey State Police Lt. Ricardo Santos, 45, who is deceased, the prosecutor’s office said.
According to GPS data, surveillance video and dispatch records cited by prosecutors, an initial call at about 7:08 p.m. on Aug. 1 reporting gunshots and screaming was relayed to Bollaro. Instead of immediately responding, he allegedly drove about 1.5 miles in the opposite direction to a TD Bank on Route 31 in Clinton Township to conduct a personal ATM transaction. Two additional calls reporting gunshots followed within minutes, which dispatch relayed and Bollaro acknowledged while still at the ATM, prosecutors said.
Bollaro then headed toward the area without activating his vehicle’s emergency lights or siren, according to the complaint. Roughly 17 minutes elapsed from the first dispatch to his arrival at 41 Upper Kingtown Road, where he apparently spoke with the first caller for several minutes but did not activate his body-worn camera, investigators said. He did not contact the second or third callers, and GPS data indicated he briefly traveled partway down White Bridge Road before leaving the area and asking dispatch to clear him at about 7:40 p.m., according to prosecutors.
From his arrival near Upper Kingtown Road to clearing the scene, about 12 minutes passed, the office said. The homicide scene at 39 Upper Kingtown Road is approximately 562 feet from 41 Upper Kingtown Road; 0.7 miles from 5 White Bridge Road; and 857 feet from 18 Upper Kingtown Road.
GPS records then placed Bollaro at Duke’s Pizzeria & Restaurant on Pittstown Road for about 50 minutes, and later at the Pittstown Inn for about 57 minutes, where witnesses said he socialized with patrons, according to the complaint. He later spent roughly five consecutive hours of his shift — from about 11:27 p.m. to 4:33 a.m. — parked at Locust Grove Cemetery with no recorded law enforcement activity, investigators said.
Prosecutors allege Bollaro’s subsequent report falsely stated he was unable to make contact with the White Bridge Road caller and that he re-canvassed Upper Kingtown Road before clearing after about 20 minutes. GPS data and witness statements contradict those assertions and show he was en route to Duke’s during the period he claimed to be canvassing, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Bollaro is charged with second-degree official misconduct for allegedly refraining from his duties to obtain a personal benefit and disorderly persons tampering with public records or information for allegedly making false entries in his report. If convicted, second-degree offenses carry a potential 5- to 10-year prison term and up to a $150,000 fine; disorderly persons offenses carry up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The homicides investigation and a separate inquiry into operations and personnel at the Franklin Township Police Department — which has been under supersession by the prosecutor’s office since Aug. 7, 2025 — remain ongoing.
Anyone with information about the homicide case is asked to contact HCPO Detective Sgt. David Petelle or Detective Quayshaun Brooks at (908) 788-1129, or submit tips to the Hunterdon County Crime Stoppers line at 1-800-321-0010. Information about the FTPD investigation can be directed to HCPO Detective Sgt. Kelsey Marsh at (908) 788-1129 or hcpoia@co.hunterdon.nj.us.
