Police Takeover Ends, Control Restored For NJ Town Rocked By Double Murder

FRANKLIN, NJ — The takeover of the Franklin Township Police Department has ended, and control is restored after the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office formally ended its supersession of the agency.

"The purpose of the supersession was to ensure stability, accountability, and continuity of police operations within Franklin Township," Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renee M. Robeson said. "With the Township’s recent actions and new leadership structure in place, the conditions that necessitated county oversight have been resolved."

The takeover of the police department began in August 2025 following the double murder of veterinarian Lauren Semanchik and her firefighter boyfriend, Tyler Webb.

As part of the new structure at the police department, the Franklin Township governing body has selected and hired John Insabella to serve as police director.

Under the arrangement, the township will also designate an Officer in Charge to oversee day-to-day police operations.

Robeson said those steps position the department for the next phase.

"With the appointment of Police Director Insabella and the forthcoming selection of an OIC, the Franklin Township Police Department is positioned to move forward effectively and confidently," Robeson added.

The Prosecutor’s Office said it will continue to support Franklin Township as needed during the transition back to local control.

That support will include a monitorship period intended to ensure that reforms and improvements made during the supersession remain in place while the department operates under township authority.

Double Murder and Suicide

Authorities said on Aug. 1, 2025, Dr. Lauren Semanchik, 33, of Pittstown, and Tyler Webb, 29, of Forked River, were both killed by Semanchik's ex-boyfriend, Ricardo Jorge Santos. Santos was a sergeant first class of the New Jersey State Police, Robeson said.

• Read More: NJ State Trooper Kills Ex-Girlfriend, Firefighter She Just Started Dating: Prosecutor

Robeson released an account of what led to the apparent double homicide of Semanchik and Webb at Semanchik's home in the Pittstown section of Franklin Township this past weekend.

Semanchik, a local veterinarian, and Webb, a firefighter, recently began dating. Semanchik previously dated Santos, said Robeson.

After ending her relationship with Santos in September 2024, Semanchik alleged that Santos continued with harassing and controlling behavior.

According to NJ Advance Media, her mother said that Semanchik had called local police to file a restraining order, and that one was not issued.

Semanchik installed a video surveillance recording system in her vehicle, which detectives were able to access and review following her death.

Here is the timeline of what her camera footage shows detailing what led up to the deaths:

• On Friday, Aug. 1 at around 5:25 p.m., the footage depicts Semanchik’s vehicle leaving her job in Long Valley, Morris County
• The footage from the vehicle’s rear shows a white 2008 Mercedes SUV leaving a parking space and closely following Semanchik from Long Valley to Upper Kingtown Road until she turns into her driveway at around 5:57 p.m.
• At around 6:11 p.m., while Semanchik’s vehicle is parked, a person is seen surreptitiously walking through the wooded area along the driveway leading up to the home.
• At around 6:45 p.m., Webb’s vehicle arrives at the home and parks next to Semanchik’s vehicle.
• At 7:08 p.m., 911 calls reported audible gunshots and screaming in the area of Upper Kingtown Road
• Franklin Township Police Department responded, checked the area, but did not locate the source of the gunshots or screaming.
• It wasn't until Saturday at around 12:22 p.m., when Franklin Township police officers responded to a 911 call reporting an unconscious woman with apparent physical trauma at a home on Upper Kingtown Road in the Pittstown section of Franklin Township, Hunterdon County.
• Officers found two dead people, Semanchik and Webb, who showed apparent gunshot wounds in what investigators believe was a targeted act

The same white 2008 Mercedes SUV that followed Semanchik’s vehicle drove to Piscataway later that night, according to authorities.

Santos was later found dead alone and inside the white 2008 Mercedes SUV in Johnson Park in Piscataway, Middlesex County.

Further investigation found that Santos suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, which the Office of the Middlesex County Medical Examiner has preliminarily determined to be a suicide. A semiautomatic handgun was also located inside the vehicle, according to authorities.

Delays In Response To 911 Calls

Franklin Township Police Sgt. Kevin Bollaro is facing charges of official misconduct and tampering with records in connection with his response to calls for service on Aug. 1 where Semanchik and Webb were later found murdered by her ex, an NJ state trooper.

Bollaro, who was supposed to be responding to a 911 call for gunshots and screaming, is accused of instead driving in the opposite direction to an ATM to make a transaction, said Robeson.

• Read More: NJ Cop Went To ATM Instead Of Responding To 911 Calls Of Double Murder: Prosecutor

Bollaro appeared in court on Dec. 15, 2025, on his charges.

During the pre-indictment hearing, Hunterdon County First Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Paravecchia said that the State planned on presenting Bollaro's charges to a grand jury in 2026.

"While we cannot disclose when Mr. Bollaro’s case will be presented, the State still plans on presenting the case to a grand jury this year," confirmed Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office Spokesperson Samantha Iraca to Patch.

Previous Reporting:

• NJ Cop Accused Of Using ATM, Delaying Double Murder Response Faces Grand Jury
• 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

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.