Franklin Borough officer involved in fatal crash identified by NJ AG's office

Authorities have released the name of the Franklin Borough officer involved in an on-duty accident on Memorial Day that resulted in the death of a young Vernon woman, whose identity authorities also confirmed.

Sgt. William Grissom was driving a Franklin Borough marked patrol vehicle around 10:40 a.m. on May 27 when he was “involved in a collision” with another vehicle near the intersection of State Route 23 and Walsh Street, the state attorney general said. ” the office said in a statement released Tuesday morning. Deanna D'Arco, 19, a passenger in the vehicle, was taken to Morristown Medical Center, but died on May 29.

The statement did not provide any additional information, including how the accident occurred or whether Grissom's lights were activated. The office said the investigation remains active. Grissom and the driver of the other vehicle suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.

Grissom was promoted to sergeant at the borough council's Jan. 1, 2019, reorganization meeting, along with four other officers, including the promotion of then-lieutenant. Gregory Cugliari to the police chief. Grissom was enrolled in the Police and Fire Retirement System in 2006 and has approximately 20 years of experience. His salary was around $111,000 in 2021, according to the latest available data. Grissom is a 2001 graduate of Wallkill Valley Regional High School.

While authorities initially refused to release the identity of the deceased and the officer involved, D'Arco was named by family members on social media. Her aunt posted several GoFundMe pages created by the girl's family and that of her boyfriend, which totaled nearly $27,000 as of Tuesday morning. D'Arco's father also released a statement through the Paterson Fire Department, where he worked as a battalion chief for nearly 25 years.

D'Arco was a teacher's assistant at Little Learners Academy in Jefferson, where she was “cherished by all the children for her kindness and dedication,” according to her obituary. She is a 2021 graduate of New Jersey Youth Corps' Project Self-Sufficiency, a 16-week program that provides education and training to students in preparation for the high school equivalency exam, or GED.

D'Arco loved animals, which highlighted his caring and compassionate nature, his obituary states. She was also an organ donor. Funeral services were held June 5 at St. Bonaventure RC Church in Paterson. The cremation was private.

A 2019 law requires the state attorney general's office to investigate any death that occurs during an encounter with law enforcement officers. All investigations are presented to a state grand jury. which determines whether the evidence supports an indictment against the officer(s) involved.

While the cause of the crash is under investigation, video shared with the New Jersey Herald by a passing motorist showed a black Honda Prelude with heavy damage to the passenger side and a police SUV with damage to the front bumper and fender. The accident caused major delays on a busy highway.

Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH or on Facebook.

This article originally appeared in the New Jersey Herald: NJ AG's office names Franklin officer involved in fatal crash