Jason R. Franco, 38, of Montague, New Jersey, was killed on Tuesday, December 8, 2020, during a deer hunt in Wantage. Franco, a Hamburg Borough police officer, was tracking a deer with a juvenile family member when a shotgun discharged; he was struck and pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 12:30 p.m. The Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office investigated and concluded the shooting was a tragic, non-suspicious, unintentional discharge by the juvenile. No arrests were made, and officials did not release the youth’s identity in keeping with juvenile privacy policies.

Franco, known as Jay, had worked for the Hamburg police since 2018 and previously served on the Sussex County HAZMAT team and with the William Paterson University Police Department. He volunteered with the Delaware Township Volunteer Fire Department in Pennsylvania and the Montague Fire Department for 15 years. He is survived by his wife, Michelle, and their sons Kyle and Jase.

If anyone was in the Wantage hunting area that day or has information about the incident, please share what was seen or heard.