The identities of the individuals involved in a fatal crash in Franklin Borough have been released by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office. The civilian who died in the crash has been identified as 19-year-old Deanna D'Arco of Sussex Borough. The police officer involved in the incident was Franklin Borough Police Sergeant William Grissom.
The crash occurred near the intersection of State Route 23 and Walsh Street on the morning of May 27th. D'Arco, a passenger in the civilian vehicle, sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to Morristown Medical Center for treatment. She was later pronounced dead on May 29th. The driver of the civilian vehicle and Sergeant Grissom were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The circumstances surrounding the crash are still under investigation by the Attorney General's Office. A 2019 law requires the Attorney General's Office to conduct investigations of a person's death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. All such investigations are presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved.