Hunterdon County Police Sergeant Charged With Official Misconduct For Actions In Double Homicide
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 7:30 A.M. ET. 6 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
PITTSTOWN, NJ.- Last Thursday, during an ongoing double homicide investigation, Franklin Township Police Department Sergeant Kevin Bollaro was taken into custody and charged with Official Misconduct and Tampering with Public Records in connection with his response to service calls during the evening hours on August 1, 2025.
According to Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renee M. Robeson, and as alleged in the criminal complaint, on Saturday, August 2, 2025, just shortly before 12:30 p.m., members of the Franklin Township Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting an unresponsive woman with trauma inside a residence located at 39 Upper Kingtown Road in the Pittstown section of Franklin Township, New Jersey.
Upon arrival, Police Officers discovered the lifeless bodies of Lauren Semanchik, 33, of Pittstown, and Tyler Webb, 29, of Forked River, New Jersey, both having succumbed to apparent gunshot wounds from a sem-automatic handgun, in what Investigators later determined to be a targeted shooting by Ms. Semanchik’s ex-boyfriend, New Jersey State Police Lieutenant Ricardo Santos, 45, who ended up taking his own life following the shooting deaths of Ms. Semanchik and Mr. Webb.
Bollaro Was First Dispatched At 7:08 P.M.
During an extensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the double homicide, Investigators of the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office learned that on Friday, August 1, 2025, at around 7:08 p.m., an individual from 41 Upper Kingtown Road, Pittstown, called 911 to report hearing gunshots and screaming. The dispatcher relayed the information to the on-duty Franklin Township Police Sergeant Bollaro, who acknowledged the radio call.
Data from the patrol vehicle’s global positioning system and area video surveillance revealed that instead of immediately responding to the 911 Emergency Call, Bollaro drove approximately 1.5 miles in the opposite direction of the caller’s address to the TD Bank located on Route 31 in Clinton Township, New Jersey, at which time he conducted a personal ATM transaction.
Approximately five minutes after the first call, a second 911 Call came in from a resident from 5 White Bridge Road, also reporting hearing gunshots and screaming. The call was received and acknowledged by Bollaro, who continued his ATM transaction. Bollaro then departed the bank and drove towards the locations without activating the patrol vehicle’s emergency lights and siren.
Approximately five minutes after the second call, a third call came in from a resident at 18 Upper Kingtown Road, reporting gunshots and screaming, which was relayed and acknowledged to Bollaro. Just around eight minutes later, the patrol vehicle’s global positioning system located Bollaro at 41 Upper Kingtown Road, presumably where he had been speaking with the first caller for approximately 4 to 6 minutes. However, because Bollaro failed to activate his body-worn camera, the actual length of the interaction is unknown. From the time of the first dispatch transmission to Bollaro’s arrival at 41 Upper Kingtown Road, it was approximately 17 minutes.
Bollaro Told Dispatch He Didn’t Hear Any Gunfire, But Never Responded To The Second Or Third Call
Bollaro subsequently advised dispatch that he could hear nothing in the area of Upper Kingtown Road and then proceeded to White Bridge Road. At approximately 7:38 PM, GPS Data showed that Bollaro was on White Bridge Road, and within a minute, his vehicle was back on Pittstown Road, roughly a quarter of a mile away. At approximately 7:40 PM, Bollaro asked dispatch to clear him from the scene. Further investigation revealed that Bollaro did not speak with either the second or third callers. Instead, global positioning systems data showed that he travelled part of the way down White Bridge Road but never stopped to investigate further.
From the time of Bollaro’s arrival at 41 Upper Kingtown Road to when he cleared his investigative involvement, approximately 12 minutes transpired. The residence of 39 Upper Kingtown Road is positioned approximately 562 feet from 41 Upper Kingtown Road; approximately 0.7 miles from 5 White Bridge Road; and approximately 857 feet from 18 Upper Kingtown Road.
Global positioning systems data further showed that Bollaro immediately traveled to Duke’s Pizzeria & Restaurant at 371 Pittstown Road, Pittstown, and remained there for approximately 50 minutes. He was later seen parking at the Pittstown Inn and walking towards it, where he remained for approximately 57 minutes, engaging in social conversation with patrons, according to witnesses.
Global positioning systems data also revealed that Bollaro spent approximately five consecutive hours of his duty shift, from approximately 11:27 p.m. until 4:33 a.m., at Locust Grove Cemetery, during which no law enforcement activity was recorded by him.
Bollaro later submitted a report documenting his investigation into the calls for service on August 1, 2025, in which he falsely stated that he was “unable to make contact with the caller from White Bridge Road.” Global positioning systems data and witness statements directly contradict that account in his report.
Bollaro also falsely stated in his report that he “checked the area along Upper Kingtown Road again and was unable to locate the source of the shots”, and that he “cleared the scene after approximately 20 minutes.” Global positioning systems data and surveillance footage showed that during the period he claimed to be canvassing Upper Kingtown Road, Bollaro was not in the immediate area but was en route to Duke’s Pizzeria in Pittstown. Aside from his initial response to 41 Upper Kingtown Road to speak with the first caller, Bollaro did not return to Upper Kingtown Road for the remainder of his shift, which concluded at approximately 7:00 p.m. the next day.
Bollaro Was Formally Charged On October 23, 2025
On Thursday, October 23, 2025, Bollaro was taken into custody at Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office and formally charged with second-degree Official Misconduct for Knowingly Refraining from Performing Police Duties for the Purpose of Obtaining a Personal Benefit; and a Disorderly Persons Offense of Tampering with Public Records or Information, for Knowingly Making False Entries. Bollaro was processed on the charges and released on a complaint summons pending his first appearance, which is currently scheduled for November 5, 2025.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
