A New Jersey State Police trooper once trusted with protecting the governor fatally shot his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend before turning the gun on himself, authorities said Sunday.
Ricardo Santos, a lieutenant in the force, was found dead Saturday in Piscataway, NJ.com reported.
Cops said Santos died by suicide after driving about 25 miles east from Franklin Township, where he fatally shot Lauren Semanchik, 33, and Tyler Webb, 29, at Semanchik’s home, according to NJ.com.
Semanchik was Santos’ ex-girlfriend, and Webb was a man she had recently started dating, the New York Times reported. Semanchik’s sister told the paper Santos and Lauren Semanchik only dated for a few months earlier this year, but he refused to leave her alone after they separated.
“Not only was Lauren a phenomenal veterinarian, she was one of the kindest souls you could ever encounter and a friend to us all,” her employer, Long Valley Animal Hospital, wrote Sunday on Facebook.
Semanchik attempted to get a restraining order against Santos and even called New Jersey State Police in hopes they would be able to stop his harassment, NJ.com reported. However, she was never granted the restraining order.
Webb had been dating Semanchik for just a few months. He was a volunteer firefighter in Berkeley Township.
“Tyler served our department with dedication and honor,” Pinewald Pioneer Fire Company wrote on Facebook. “His contributions to our company and community will never be forgotten.”
Originally Published: August 4, 2025 at 12:13 PM EDT
