Prosecutor takes over New Jersey police force amid deadly shooting reportedly involving trooper

FRANKLIN, N.J. (AP) — “Serious concerns” raised over a New Jersey police department’s handling of a deadly shooting that reportedly involved a state trooper has prompted a county prosecutor’s office to take over the force’s daily operations indefinitely.

Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renee Robeson announced the move Thursday, saying the Franklin Township Police Department’s chief and a sergeant had been placed on administrative leave by the town. The directive will remain in effect “until further notice,” the prosecutor’s office said.

The statement said the prosecutor’s office “has determined that supersession” of the force was “immediately necessary” following an investigation into the deadly shootings that occurred last week in Franklin. The probe “has raised serious concerns about FTPD’s operations and effectiveness,” the statement said, but the office declined further comment on the ongoing investigation.

Authorities have said a woman and her boyfriend were found shot to death in her Franklin home Saturday. The woman’s ex-boyfriend — a 45-year-old state police lieutenant who had once served with the unit that guards New Jersey’s governor — was found dead later that day in Piscataway, a town in neighboring Somerset County. He had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities have said.

The woman had ended her relationship with the trooper in September 2024 and had since accused him of harassing and controlling behavior. She had recently started dating the male shooting victim.

State police did not immediately respond to a request for comment made Friday.