NJ couple Lauren Semanchik and Tyler Webb were building life together before crazed cop killed them

A couple had been enjoying a new romance rooted at the Jersey Shore when a jealous ex appears to have violently ended their lives before taking his own.

Lauren Semanchik and Tyler Webb were killed in Semanchik’s Hunterdon County home, their bodies recovered on Saturday.

Their suspected killer, a state trooper lieutenant, was found dead of an apparent suicide over 30 miles away, law enforcement confirmed late Monday afternoon.

Fresh couple were building their lives

Semanchik and Webb had still been introducing one another to their groups of loved ones, as evidenced in an outpouring of emotional social media posts.

The 33-year-old veterinarian and the 29-year-old mechanic and volunteer firefighter had just begun dating at the start of summer, according to Webb’s heartbroken sister in a Facebook post.

They had met during a Stone Pony summer stage concert over Memorial Day weekend, Angela Webb said in a touching tribute on Monday.

She said Lauren was “so sweet” and fun and that “Tyler lit up” when he even talked about her.

“I am so grateful for the happiness she gave my brother over the last few months and feel lucky to have these moments with them. I will never understand this,” Angela Webb wrote.

Read More: NJ couple is mourned as NJ state trooper's rampage is revealed

Webb remembered for generosity, loyalty

Tyler Webb, a Forked River resident, has also been memorialized as a dedicated and hard-working public servant through his position with Berkeley Township as a mechanic and as a volunteer firefighter for the Pinewald area of town.

A mealtrain link for the Webb family had raised over $13,000 in donations within its first few days.

Webb has been mourned by countless close friends and loved ones on social media, and also his co-workers in Ocean County.

“Tyler wasn’t just the township mechanic — he was our mechanic. He took pride in making sure our patrol vehicles were safe, reliable, and ready for anything. But more than that, he cared about the people behind the wheel. Tyler would go out of his way to help any one of us, and his commitment never went unnoticed,” Berkeley Township PBA Local 237 said in a Facebook post on Monday.

Dr. Semanchik mourned for 'heart full of love'

Semanchik’s work as a devoted vet has similarly sparked a deluge of tributes from co-workers and pet owner, alike. A memorial has been growing outside Long Valley Animal Hospital.

The hospital has created a GoFundMe campaign “to assist Dr. Lauren Semanchik's family as they navigate through this most difficult time.” More than $42,000 was donated by Tuesday.

Oldwick Animal Hospital, where Semanchik started her veterinary career in high school, also posted memories.

“We knew Lauren as a vibrant, caring, smart, and talented veterinarian with a heart full of love and empathy. She will be sorely missed. Our hearts go out to her family, friends, and all of her loved ones.”

Video evidence that Semanchik was stalked before the killings

Prosecutors on Monday said that video evidence from the veterinarian’s car show she was followed home from work on Friday evening by a 2008 white Mercedes-Benz SUV.

An assailant was lurking near her driveway until shortly after Webb arrived at his girlfriend’s home.

Gunshots and screaming were reported to 911 by neighbors after 7 p.m., but it was not until the following afternoon that Semanchik and Webb were found inside.

Also Saturday, state trooper Lt. Ricardo Jorge Santos was found in that same Mercedes SUV, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot, at Johnson Park in Piscataway.

None of Santos’ other personal information has been disclosed by prosecutors as of Tuesday — not his age or hometown.

No records of domestic violence or department disciplinary reports involving Santos had come to light as of Tuesday.

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