New Jersey police sergeant Andrew LaBruno was arrested Monday over accusations that he sexually assaulted a minor, Breitbart reported. The 44-year-old, who is also the former Democratic mayor of Dumont and currently serves on the Jersey City Police Department, allegedly showed up at the Englewood home of a child he met online and drugged the minor.
The details of the alleged crime are stomach-churning. LaBruno is accused of spraying "an unknown substance into his hand" then "placing it over the victim’s mouth and nose, causing the victim dizziness."
Once the alleged victim was "physically helpless" from the effects of the drug, LaBruno allegedly engaged in his heinous act with the child. When a 911 call was made, police found the victim was still suffering "cognitive impairment" and was treated at a local hospital.
They found enough physical evidence and used LaBruno's statements made to police, which were captured on body cam footage, to arrest the officer. Nobody else was at the Englewood home at the time the married father of two allegedly attacked the minor.
LaBruno "was suspended without pay immediately following his arrest," said Kim Wallace-Scalcione, press secretary for the Jersey City mayor's office. Wallace-Scalcione said that the JCPD "will assist the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office as needed during its criminal investigation."
There will also be an investigation into what his colleagues may have known. "As is standard procedure, JCPD Internal Affairs is conducting its own investigation and will determine his final employment status pending the outcome of all investigations," Wallace-Scalcione said.
The disgraced police sergeant is in custody at the Bergen County Jail, where he is being held without bail. According to NJ Advance Media, LaBruno pleaded "not guilty" to all three charges and will find out Friday whether he will remain in prison while awaiting trial.
"He hasn’t been indicted yet, he’s presumed innocent, " Anthony Barbieri, LaBruno's public defender, said Wednesday. "These are just charges, allegations," Barbieri added.
“He’s a rather prominent person in the community, and I’m sure the judge will take all of that into account,” Barbieri added about whether LaBruno will remain in jail. He had served as Dumont's mayor from 2020 to 2023 and recently ran for state assembly in the 39th legislative district on the Democratic ticket and lost.
LaBruno came close to winning on the Democratic ticket, and Jay Costa, who ran on the GOP ticket for Bergen County Commissioner, called out Democrats for their hypocrisy in supporting a man like him. "The NJ Democrat Party ran a smear campaign against me, calling me a 'Right Wing Gun Extremist' and accusing me of illegal activity, which lead to THREATS to the SAFETY of my FAMILY," LaBruno wrote on X.
"At the same time, they endorsed and supported Andrew LaBruno, who is now an alleged PEDOPHILE and sexual predator, as a candidate for District 39 assembly. They will do anything to gain or secure their power, and they will RUIN your life in the process without batting an eye," he went on in his post on Tuesday.
"Be warned, this is what we are up against in New Jersey. They are ruthless. Keep fighting," Costa added.
The NJ Democrat Party ran a smear campaign against me, calling me a "Right Wing Gun Extremist" and accusing me of illegal activity, which lead to THREATS to the SAFETY of my FAMILY.
At the same time, they endorsed and supported Andrew LaBruno, who is now an alleged PEDOPHILE and… pic.twitter.com/fVSi1Pco5x
— Jay Costa (@JayCostaUSA) November 18, 2025
If these allegations are true, it's a disgraceful crime on LaBruno's part, and he deserves the full extent of the punishment allowed by law. It's also an indictment of the state of the Democratic Party in New Jersey and the kind of people they will tolerate among their ranks if La Bruno is convicted.
