A New Jersey police officer has been charged with misconduct after reportedly neglecting his duty to respond to a shooting incident, instead stopping for pizza and visiting a bank ATM. The shocking case has drawn widespread attention, with prosecutors accusing the officer of failing to act during a critical situation that later turned out to be a double homicide.
According to investigators, Sergeant Kevin Bollaro, a Franklin Township police officer, was on duty on the evening of August 1 when multiple emergency calls were received reporting gunshots and screams in a Pittstown neighborhood. Rather than rushing to the scene, GPS tracking and surveillance footage revealed that Bollaro drove nearly two miles in the opposite direction to visit an ATM before eventually heading toward the location of the calls—without activating his emergency lights or sirens.
Dispatchers continued receiving reports from concerned residents, but Bollaro reportedly failed to respond appropriately. When he arrived at the first caller’s address, he radioed that he had not heard anything suspicious and would check other locations. However, data later showed that he never visited the additional sites he had mentioned.
Instead, evidence indicates Bollaro drove to a nearby pizzeria, where he remained for almost an hour. He was later spotted entering another restaurant, where he stayed for roughly another hour. Prosecutors allege that during this time, Bollaro was supposed to be canvassing the area in response to the gunfire reports.
The following morning, the bodies of two individuals, 33-year-old Lauren Semanchik and 29-year-old Tyler Webb, were discovered inside a home just 600 feet from the original 911 call location. Investigations revealed that both victims had been fatally shot by a state police lieutenant who later took his own life.
Authorities claim Bollaro later filed a false incident report, stating he had carried out a thorough investigation—despite GPS evidence proving otherwise. He has since been charged with official misconduct for knowingly neglecting his duties and tampering with public records for falsifying his report.
Bollaro is expected to appear in court on November 5. Meanwhile, the victims’ families have expressed outrage, describing his conduct as deeply negligent and part of broader failures within the local and state police departments. The case has reignited public concern over accountability and discipline within law enforcement ranks.
