Police lights

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A deadly double murder-suicide in one New Jersey town has people pointing fingers at the wrong police department.

Now, Franklin Township Police in Somerset County is asking the public and the press to stop confusing them with another town of the same name where NJSP Trooper Ricardo Santos is believed to have followed Lauren Semanchik home from work and killed her and her new boyfriend, Tyler Webb, as previously reported by Daily Voice citing authorities.

It’s an easy mistake to make: New Jersey has four Franklin Townships, plus Franklin Borough (Sussex County) and Franklin Lakes (Bergen County).

Here’s the breakdown:

  • Franklin Township, Somerset County – Central NJ, population ~68,000 (this is the department that issued the clarification)
  • Franklin Township, Hunterdon County – Western NJ, population ~3,200 (this is where the tragedy occurred)
  • Franklin Township, Gloucester County – Southern NJ, population ~16,000
  • Franklin Township, Warren County – Northwestern NJ, population ~3,000

“Unfortunately, our name, likeness, and logo have been used in coverage of this incident, leading to potential confusion,” said Capt. Vincent T. Wilson, division commander of the Somerset County force.

“Please note that there are four Franklin Townships in New Jersey, in addition to Franklin Lakes and Franklin Borough. The Franklin Township Police Department in Somerset County was not involved in this incident.”

The double murder-suicide happened in Franklin Township, Hunterdon County. But social media posts and some news coverage mistakenly referenced the Somerset department, Wilson said.

“We respectfully request that all media outlets take care to clearly identify the correct jurisdiction when reporting, to avoid any misrepresentation of Franklin Township, Somerset County,” he added.

The Somerset PD said it was “deeply saddened and disturbed” by the tragedy and issued the statement to help prevent further confusion.

Earlier in the day, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office announced that Franklin Township Police Chief Timothy Snyder and Sergeant Kevin Bollaro had been placed on administrative leave amid the investigation into the double homicide.

Prosecutor Renee Robeson said the supersession of the department is "immediately necessary," saying they have serious concerns about the department's "operations and effectiveness."