Following a double murder-suicide allegedly committed by a New Jersey state trooper, a county prosecutor has taken over the small police department leading the investigation.
The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday it had taken full control of the Franklin Township Police Department and will “supervise the day-to-day operations” until further notice.
Two leaders of the six-person department, Police Chief Timothy Snyder and Sgt. Kevin Bollaro, have been placed on administrative leave, while HCPO Captain Paul Approvato will serve as interim officer-in-charge.
The prosecutor’s office said the takeover was “immediately necessary” due to “serious concerns about FTPD’s operations and effectiveness” following the murders of Lauren Semanchik and Tyler Webb.
Authorities on Sunday said Ricardo Santos, a lieutenant in the New Jersey State Police, fatally shot his ex-girlfriend Semanchik and her new boyfriend, Webb, at Semanchik’s residence in the Pittstown section of Franklin Township on Aug. 1.
Semanchik had made several requests to local authorities for a restraining order against Santos before he killed her, but she was unable to obtain one, according to her family. They said state police were also unhelpful when she reached out to them regarding his harassing behavior.
After fatally shooting Semanchik and Webb, Santos drove about 25 miles east to Piscataway and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside his vehicle, investigators said.
Semanchik, a 33-year-old veterinarian at the Long Valley Animal Hospital, and Webb, a 29-year-old volunteer firefighter in Berkeley Township, had only been dating for a few months.
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