By: Richard L. Smith
The Attorney General’s Office has identified the individuals involved in a fatal motor vehicle crash that occurred on May 27, 2024, in Franklin Borough, New Jersey.
The civilian who died in the incident has been identified as Deanna D'Arco, 19, from the Borough of Sussex.
According to preliminary investigations, the crash occurred at approximately 10:41 a.m. when Franklin Borough Police Sgt. William Grissom, on duty in a marked police vehicle, collided with a civilian vehicle near the intersection of State Route 23 and Walsh Street.
Ms. D’Arco, a passenger in the civilian vehicle, sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to Morristown Medical Center, where she was pronounced deceased at 12:45 a.m. on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.
The driver of the civilian vehicle and Sgt. Grissom were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The investigation is ongoing, and no further information is being released at this time.
Under a 2019 law, N.J.S.A. 52:17B-107(a)(2), the Attorney General’s Office is required to investigate any death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in their official capacity or while the decedent is in custody.
These investigations must be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the involved officer or officers.