NJ AG’s Office releases name of Franklin officer involved in fatal crash

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

Sgt. William Grissom was behind the wheel of a marked Franklin Borough-issued patrol vehicle around 10:40 a.m. 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’s office said in a statement released in 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 crash occurred or whether Grissom’s lights were on. 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 from patrol officer to sergeant during the borough council’s Jan. 1, 2019 reorganization meeting, along with four other officers, including the promotion of then-Lieutenant. Gregory Cugliari for police chief. Grissom was enrolled in the Police and Fire Retirement System in 2006 and has approximately 20 years of service. His 2021 salary was approximately $111,000, according to the most recent data available. Grissom is a 2001 graduate of Wallkill Valley Regional High School.

Authorities did not initially release D’Arco’s name, but her name was posted on several social media platforms, including her aunt, who posted several GoFundMe pages set up by the girl’s family and her boyfriend’s family that had collectively raised 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 almost 25 years.

Her obituary states that D’Arco was a teaching assistant at Little Learners Academy in Jefferson, where “all the children appreciated her for her kindness and dedication.” In 2021, she graduated from the New Jersey Youth Corps at Project Self-Sufficiency, a 16-week program that offers education and training to students toward obtaining the High School Equivalency Test, or GED.

The obituary noted that D’Arco loved animals and was an organ donor, among many other admirable qualities. The funeral ceremony took place on June 5 in the church of St. Bonaventure RC in Paterson. The cremation was private.

The 2019 bill 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 or officers involved.

While the cause of the crash was being investigated, video provided to the New Jersey Herald by a passing driver at the scene showed a black Honda Prelude with significant damage to the passenger side and a police SUV with front bumper and fender damage. The accident caused major delays on a busy highway.