By John Q. Hosedrinker 
According to prosecutors, Franklin Township Police Sergeant Kevin Bollaro has been charged with official misconduct after failing to promptly respond to a reported double shooting. Instead of immediately investigating the reports on August 1st, GPS data and surveillance video indicate Bollaro stopped at an ATM and a pizzeria. The officer later submitted a report containing false statements about the extent of his investigation, while the bodies of the victims were found near the initial 911 call. Bollaro faces charges for knowingly neglecting his duties and tampering with public records, and is scheduled to appear in court on November 5th.
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New Jersey officer stopped at ATM and pizzeria instead of investigating double-murder – This whole situation is just… unbelievable, really. A New Jersey police officer, Sergeant Kevin Bollaro, was dispatched to a 911 call about shots fired and screaming. You’d think the immediate response would be to rush to the scene, right? I mean, someone’s life could be in danger. Instead, this officer decided to make a pit stop at an ATM, then hit up a couple of restaurants, all while the dispatcher was relaying more calls from concerned neighbors.
Rather than responding to the emergency calls, the officer drove in the opposite direction, adding to the baffling nature of the situation. It’s hard to wrap your head around the choices made. The reports indicate that the officer claimed he was canvassing the area, but the data showed him at other places. The fact he didn’t even go to the reported locations before clearing himself seems incredibly suspicious.
The real tragedy is what happened the next day. The bodies of Lauren Semanchik and Tyler Webb were found, victims of a double murder. The shooter? Another cop, Lieutenant Ricardo Santos, who then took his own life. The timing, the location, the complete disregard for the initial calls…it’s impossible not to wonder if this officer’s actions, or lack thereof, played a role. The article says he was “knowingly refraining from performing his police duties.” That’s not just a bad day at the office.
This is where the story gets even murkier. Bollaro has been charged with official misconduct and tampering with public records. These are serious accusations, and the fact that an investigation revealed false statements in his report only adds to the suspicion.
It’s natural to question whether the officer was intentionally delaying or even complicit in some way. Did he know something was going down? Was he told to stay away? It’s hard not to speculate when the pieces don’t quite fit, and the key players are law enforcement.
The argument that officers have no legal duty to protect citizens isn’t helpful here. That might be a point of legal debate, but it doesn’t excuse a complete lack of response to a clear emergency, especially when the potential victims may have still been alive.
It’s tempting to try and rationalize the officer’s actions – maybe he was having a bad day, or maybe he was simply lazy. But when another police officer is implicated in a crime of this magnitude, it throws a whole different light on the situation. The possibility of intentional misconduct, of looking the other way, becomes much more plausible.
The fact that the shooter was another cop elevates the suspicion levels. If the shooter was anyone else, it might be possible to write this off as sheer laziness or poor judgment. But given the context, the idea that this was an intentional act of obstruction, or even something more sinister, is a strong consideration.
This whole scenario just highlights the critical need for accountability within law enforcement. The public needs to trust that when they call for help, someone will actually respond, and respond appropriately. If an officer can casually dismiss a 911 call about gunshots while getting cash and grabbing a slice, what message does that send?
The charges against Sergeant Bollaro suggest that the authorities are taking this seriously. But the investigation needs to be thorough, and the outcome has to be just. This isn’t just about one officer’s actions; it’s about the integrity of the entire system.