A police sergeant in New Jersey is facing serious charges after allegedly neglecting his duty to investigate a critical emergency call. This incident, which tragically escalated into a double murder-suicide, was reportedly set aside by the officer in favor of a pizza break.
Sergeant Kevin Bollaro of the Franklin Township Police Department is accused of official misconduct and record tampering linked to the untimely deaths of Lauren Semanchik, a 33-year-old veterinarian from Pittstown, and Tyler Webb, 29, from Forked River.
Though Bollaro isn’t directly charged with causing their deaths, the accusations stem from his failure to act on a 911 alert about gunshots and distressing noises reported on August 1.
Confirmed as the perpetrator, New Jersey State Police Lieutenant Ricardo Santos, aged 45, who was once romantically involved with Semanchik, was discovered deceased in his vehicle from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, located about an hour from the crime scene.
At approximately 7 p.m., Bollaro was informed of the critical call. Despite acknowledging the dispatch, he opted to divert his route to a local TD Bank for a cash withdrawal instead of responding to the emergency.
The situation escalated as dispatch contacted Bollaro two more times, updating him that additional neighbors had reported similar alarming sounds.
Bollaro headed toward the first caller’s home, where his GPS location showed he stayed for four to six minutes. He did not activate his body-worn camera during the interaction, with came 17 minutes after the initial report came in, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Bollaro allegedly told dispatchers that he could not hear any gunshots in the area and proceeded to the location of the second call, where he spent around one minute on the road and GPS does not show he went to the home, prosecutors said.
Lauren Semanchik, 33, of Pittstown, and Tyler Webb, 29, of Forked River, were murdered in Semanchik’s home on August 1 by her ex-boyfriend, Ricardo Santos
Franklin Township Police Sergeant, Kevin Bollaro has been charged for allegedly not properly responding to the three calls reporting gunshot wounds in the area. He faces up to 10 years in custody
Shortly after, Bollaro allegedly asked to be dismissed from the scene 12 minutes after arriving to the first address.
He later reported that he was unable to get in contact with the second caller and had surveyed the area for 20 minutes.
It was later discovered he did not speak to the second or third caller, prosecutors said. His GPS location also allegedly showed he was not in the area during the time he claimed to have been searching.
GPS data showed he did not check the surrounding area, where he would have discovered Semanchik’s home.
Instead, he allegedly headed for Duke’s Pizzeria & Restaurant, where he remained for 50 minutes, prosecutors said.
‘He was later seen parking at and walking towards the Pittstown Inn, where he remained for approximately 57 minutes, engaging socially with patrons according to witnesses,’ prosecutors said in a press release.
Afterward, he then parked himself at Locust Grover Cemetery, where he spent five hours, despite no criminal or suspicious activity being reported there.
Semanchik and Webb were found by police officers on August 2 after officers responded to a call reporting an unconscious female with apparent physical trauma at a Pittman home.
Santos, 45, a New Jersey State Police lieutenant, who was Semanchik’s ex-boyfriend, was confirmed as the murderer. Santos was found roughly an hour away from the murder scene in his car with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Semanchik was discovered by her father the following morning. Officers arrived to find the couple dead
Bollaro’s attorney, Charles Sciarra, made a previous statement, which read, in part: ‘Nothing Kevin Bollaro did or did not do that day impacted or could have stopped that tragedy in any way.’
‘Sgt. Kevin Bollaro has faithfully served that community for nearly 25 years [and] is not guilty of anything related to this horrendous killing. This prosecution is unfortunate.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Sciarra for comment.
Semanchik’s family attorneys released a statement saying: ‘The Semanchik and Webb families are shocked at Sgt. Bollaro’s egregious conduct as charged by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor.
‘We believe this to be the tip of the iceberg of the many failures by the local and state police, which will be uncovered and which led to the murders of Lauren and Tyler.’
Bollaro was placed on administrative leave and if convicted, he faces five to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000.
His court appearance is set for November 5.
Santos had been stalking and harassing Semanchik prior to the fatal shooting.
Santos killed them inside the house. Semanchik’s father found his daughter the following morning.
While Webb (pictured), who was a volunteer fireman, and Semanchik were lying dead in the home, Bollaro was allegedly withdrawing money from a TD bank and getting pizza
Semanchik worked as a vet. Her place of work started a memorial GoFundMe, which has garnered $97,000 for her family
Webb’s sister, Angela Webb, remembered her volunteer firefighter brother as a ‘goofball’ who was a little bit chaotic and ‘always a good time,’ she said in a heartfelt Facebook post on Friday.
‘He always had a story to tell, and I now know from all of the stories shared with me, he was not exaggerating; he really was everywhere, doing everything, all of the time.
‘He was my very first message before I woke up in the morning, my all-day entertainment and venting buddy, and my nightly call or FaceTime. You simply couldn’t help but laugh and smile when you were with him.
‘He was my “baby brother” – which sometimes led to eye rolls or sighs.. and now I would do anything for one more minute of calling him a pain in my butt.’
In a separate post, she said she hoped Bollaro ‘serves all 10 years and thinks about his every single day.’
A GoFundMe has been set up by Semanchik’s workplace, Long Valley Animal Hospital.
‘As words can sometimes fall short from those of us grieving, confused, angry, and truly devastated, I can share this with no doubts: Lauren was LOVED. Deeply and unequivocally loved by her family, friends, co-workers, clients, furry patients, classmates, and anyone who had the pleasure of conversing with her or getting a glimpse of her rockstar smile and genuine kindness,’ the fundraiser said.
‘She loved life, and she loved helping others. She loved her family, as she often shared stories and plans she had with her sisters. She loved animals, the outdoors, kayaking, music, concerts, traveling, and so much more.’
The fundraiser has garnered more than $97,000 as of Saturday afternoon.
