Jury Indicts NJ Cop Accused Of Using ATM Instead Of Responding To Double Murder

FRANKLIN, NJ — A grand jury has indicted a Franklin Township Police Sgt. accused of going to an ATM instead of responding to a 911 call for a double murder with official misconduct on Thrusday.

Kevin Bollaro was indicted for second-degree official misconduct for knowingly refraining from performing his police duties with purpose to obtain a benefit in connection with a 911 call on Aug. 1, 2025, said Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson.

The following morning, veterinarian Lauren Semanchik and her firefighter boyfriend, Tyler Webb were later found murdered by her ex, a NJ state trooper.

At around 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 2, 2025, Franklin Township Police officers responded to a 911 call reporting an unconscious woman with visible trauma at 39 Upper Kingtown Road in the Pittstown section of Franklin Township.

Officers found two deceased people — later identified as Semanchik, 33, of Pittstown, and Webb, 29, of Forked River — who had apparent gunshot wounds from a semiautomatic firearm, in what investigators later confirmed was a targeted act by New Jersey State Police Lieutenant Ricardo Santos, now dead.

During an investigation into the circumstances of the double homicide, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office (HCPO) found there were three separate 911 calls at around 7 p.m. on Aug. 1, 2025, in which the callers reported gunshots and screaming in the area of White Bridge and Upper Kingtown Roads, said Robeson.

Dispatchers alerted the duty officer, Bollaro, of the nature of the calls, which he acknowledged, but instead drove in the opposite direction to conduct a personal ATM transaction in Clinton Township, according to the HCPO investigation.

Bollaro got to the location of the first 911 caller about 17 minutes after he was first alerted by a dispatcher, said Robeson.

"HCPO further learned that Bollaro failed to activate his body-worn camera, thoroughly canvass the area surrounding the locations of the calls, and speak to the remaining two callers," said Robeson.

It took Bollaro about 12 minutes from the time he first arrived to when he cleared the investigation, according to Robeson.

Global positioning systems (GPS) and surveillance footage showed that immediately after Bollaro cleared the calls, he spent substantial portions of his shift at Duke’s Pizzeria, the Pittstown Inn, and Locust Grove Cemetery and never returned to the locations of the calls, said Robeson.

Charles J. Sciarra, who is representing Bollaro, issued the following statement:

"We have been advised of the indictment of Officer Kevin Bollaro. While the decision to indict was expected once the Prosecutor splashed these charges last year, it is very unfortunate and will ultimately be regretted by the Prosecutor. At the absolute very worst, Kevin Bollaro, with an unblemished record for 24 plus years, did a bad job at his job on that day. That is not a crime and they cannot make it one, no matter how much some people hate cops. However, the facts will demonstrate this call was handled like the hundreds of other ‘shots fired’ calls, with or without yelling, that regularly came into those local police departments. People in that area have large properties and guns are part of the culture. Indeed, there is a shooting range a short distance from the sight of these murders. We have researched and obtained thousands of dispatch call records and the Court will hear how common these calls were and how routine were the responses.

But worst is the torment that these families will endure. Their loved ones were assassinated at close range by a maniac who then went and killed himself and nothing Kevin Bollaro did or did not do could change any of that. They will be dragged back and forth to Court seeking answers to serious questions about calls for help in the prior months that went unmet. They want justice. They will not get it from the criminal prosecution of Kevin Bollaro, a local police officer who had nothing to do with any of this domestic violence tragedy and was just starting his shift when these calls came in some time after their loved ones were murdered. My heart breaks for them.”

A post-indictment arraignment conference is scheduled before Judge Christopher J. Garrenger on July 10.

Bollaro faces a term of imprisonment between five and ten years and a fine not to exceed $150,000 on the second-degree charge if he is found guilty.

Previous Reporting:

• Response Delay 'Tip Of The Iceberg,' Of NJ Police Failures In Double Murder Case, Attorney Says
• NJ Cop Went To ATM Instead Of Responding To 911 Calls Of Double Murder: Prosecutor
• Top Cops In NJ Town Rocked By Double Murder Removed Over 'Serious Concerns'
• It Was Love At First Concert Until NJ State Trooper's Jealous Slayings: Police
• Long Valley Veterinarian Mourned After Apparent Double-Murder, Suicide
• Community Mourns Lacey Man, Bayville Firefighter Slain In Apparent Double-Murder, Suicide

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