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UPDATE: NJ Double Homicide Investigation

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NJ State Trooper Fatally Shoots Ex-Girlfriend, Her Boyfriend & Then Kills Himself

Thursday, August 7, 2025, 7:45 A.M. ET. 4 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

PITTSTOWN, NJ.- On Monday, August 4, 2025, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renee Robeson reported an update into the shooting deaths of a 33-year-old Pittstown, New Jersey, woman, and a 29-year-old Forked River, New Jersey, man, who were found fatally shot inside a home on Saturday, August 2, 2025, in the Pittstown section of Franklin Township, New Jersey.

     As previously reported, on Saturday, August 2, 2025, members of the Franklin Township Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting an unresponsive woman with apparent physical trauma inside a residence located on Upper Kingtown Road in Pittstown, New Jersey.

Police Officers Find Ms. Semanchik And Mr. Webb Dead Inside The Home

     Upon arrival, Police Officers discovered two individuals, Lauren Semanchik, 33, of Pittstown, New Jersey, and Tyler Webb, 29, of Forked River, New Jersey, deceased, having succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds from a semi-automatic handgun. During the initial investigation, Detectives determined that both Ms. Semanchik and Mr. Webb were killed in a targeted shooting.

Detectives Determine That Both Were Killed Friday Night

     During a swift-moving and extensive investigation, Detectives of the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office learned that on Friday, August 1, 2025, just shortly after 7:00 p.m., the Hunterdon County Communications Center received a 911 Emergency Call reporting what appeared to be gunshots and screaming in the area of Upper Kingtown Road in the Township. 

     Members of the Franklin Township Police Department responded to the area and, after canvassing the area, Police Officers were unable to locate the source of the gunshots and screaming.

     During the ensuing investigation, Detectives uncovered that Ms. Semanchik, a local veterinarian, and Mr. Webb had recently begun a dating relationship. Ms. Semanchik had previously dated Ricardo Jorge Santos, a Sergeant with the New Jersey State Police. After ending the relationship with Santos around September 2024, Ms. Semanchik had alleged and reported to others that Santos engaged in continued harassment and controlling behavior. This led Detectives to believe that Santos may have been involved in the double homicide.

State Trooper Takes His Own Life After Killing Ex-Girlfried And Her New Boyfriend

     Detectives quickly learned that Santos had been found deceased alone and inside a white 2008 Mercedes Sport Utility Vehicle in Johnson Park, located in Piscataway, New Jersey. The investigation into Santos’ death revealed that Santos had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, which the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office has preliminarily determined to be a suicide. A semi-automatic handgun was also located inside the vehicle.

     As the investigation moved forward, Detectives further learned that Ms. Semanchik had installed a video surveillance recording system in her vehicle, which Detectives were able to access and carefully review. During the subsequent review, the video footage showed Ms. Semanchik departing her place of employment in Long Valley, New Jersey, at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Friday, August 1, 2025.

     The rear camera on Ms. Semanchik’s vehicle shows a white 2008 Mercedes Sport Utility Vehicle leaving a parking space and following her from Long Valley to Upper Kingtown Road until she entered her driveway, at around 6:00 p.m. At approximately 6:11 p.m., while Ms. Semanchik’s vehicle is parked, an individual is seen suspiciously walking through a wooded area along the driveway leading up to Ms. Semanchik’s residence. At approximately 6:45 p.m., Mr. Webb’s vehicle arrives at the residence and parks next to Ms. Semanchik’s vehicle.

     Detectives determined that the same white 2008 Mercedes Sport Utility Vehicle that followed Ms. Semanchik’s vehicle and in which Santos’s deceased body was found was the exact vehicle.

     Prosecutor Robeson stated, “We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of Dr. Lauren Semanchik and Tyler Webb, whose lives were tragically taken in an act of domestic violence. This senseless and devastating loss has deeply affected our entire community. Considering the suspect’s subsequent suicide, we recognize that many questions remain, and healing will take time. While justice in the legal sense may not proceed, our commitment to supporting survivors and preventing future tragedies remains unwavering.”

     Anyone with information relating to this investigation is asked to contact Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Sergeant David Petelle or Detective Quayshaun Brooks at (908)788-1129. Information may also be provided through the Hunterdon County Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-321-0010. All anonymous reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential. 

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Art Fletcher
Art Fletcher
Founder & Executive Editor

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