The bank and a pizza shop: Where police were on the night a Hunterdon County couple was killed
There was a 17-hour gap between the first 911 call from a neighbor who reported shots fired, and when the bodies of Lauren Semanchik and Tyler Webb were discovered by Semanchik’s father.
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A Franklin Township police sergeant faces official misconduct and evidence tampering charges for his response to this summer's double homicide in Hunterdon County.
The charges against Sgt. Kevin Bollaro detailed where police were that night.
There was a 17-hour gap between the first 911 call from a neighbor who reported shots fired, and when the bodies of Lauren Semanchik and Tyler Webb were discovered by Semanchik’s father.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the first call came in at 7:08 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 1. It came from a neighbor at 41 Upper Kingtown Road in the Pittstown section of Franklin Township. Semanchik lived at 39 Upper Kingtown Road.
The prosecutor says Bollaro acknowledged the call and then drove 1.5 miles in the opposite direction to the TD Bank in Clinton and made a transaction.
Five minutes later, at 7:13 p.m., while Bollaro was at the ATM, a second call reported gunshots and screaming. The prosecutor’s office says when he drove that way, he didn't turn on his car’s sirens or lights. Five minutes after that, at 7:18 p.m., Bollaro acknowledged a third call.
He made it to the first caller at 7:26 p.m., 17 minutes after their call. Bollaro was about 550 feet from the crime scene.
Prosecutors say Bollaro reported not hearing anything there and went onto the second call on White Bridge Road. Bollaro said he couldn’t make contact and was back on Pittstown Road within a minute.
At 7:40 p.m., he asked to clear the scene. The prosecutor’s office says he never spoke with the second or third caller.
Officials say GPS data shows that Bollaro went “immediately” toward Duke’s Pizzeria and spent about an hour there. Then, witnesses say he walked to the Pittstown Inn and “engaged socially with patrons.” He was there for another 57 minutes.
The prosecutor’s office said he never returned to Upper Kingtown Road for the rest of his shift, which ended at 7 a.m. Saturday, but spent five hours overnight at Locust Grove Cemetery with no recorded law enforcement work.
It wasn’t until 12:22 p.m. Saturday that police received the call from Semanchik’s father, who found the two bodies. Officials say they were killed by Semanchik’s ex-boyfriend, State Police Lt. Ricardo Santos. Officers found Santos’s body in a car at a Piscataway park that day. He had taken his own life.
The investigation continues. The Semanchik and Webb families have announced impending lawsuits against multiple police departments, including Franklin Township.
Bollaro is charged with official misconduct for refraining from police duty to obtain a personal benefit and tampering for what the prosecutor called false statements in Bollaro’s initial report.
Bollaro's attorney, Charles J. Sciarra, released the following statement:
"A woman and her friend were tragically killed in a domestic violence incident and we have only wishes for peace and strength for those families. However, nothing Kevin Bollaro did or did not do that day impacted or could have stopped that tragedy in any way. Thankfully, the probable cause statement made by the Prosecutor’s office does not attempt to allege any such connection. It is however a time honored tradition to look for blame when tragedy strikes and with the killer ending his own life in this case, the wide net is being cast. I do not comment on other matters being investigated. But with regard to Sgt. Bollaro, the evidence will show that there were delays in these 911 calls being made and dispatched. The evidence will show that shots fired calls of this nature are a regular occurrence in this community, especially as hunting season is approaching. The evidence will show there are no practice or policies about putting on lights and sirens and responding at high speeds to such calls. The evidence will show that Sgt. Bollaro talked to someone who made a call. The evidence will show he canvassed the area thoroughly. Sgt. Kevin Bollaro has faithfully served that community for nearly 25 years is not guilty of anything related to this horrendous killing. This prosecution is unfortunate.”
The attorney for the Semanchik and Webb families, David Mazie, also released a statement:
“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's first appearance is set for Nov. 5.
