A former Democrat mayor in New Jersey was arrested for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting a child he met online.
Former Dumont Mayor Andrew LaBruno, a Jersey City police sergeant and former president of the Jersey City Superior Officers union, unsuccessfully ran for a state assembly seat earlier this month.
The 44-year-old came within 1,888 votes of winning his election, New Jersey Globe noted.
According to the outlet, LaBruno was charged with “aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault-force/coercion, and endangering-sexual conduct with a child.”
New Jersey Globe shared:
The Independent Online News reported that the boy’s father returned home and called the Englewood Police Department, which notified the Bergen County Prosecutor’s office. Two of the people involved were hospitalized, the report said.
ADVERTISEMENTLaBruno is married with two children.
He served one term as mayor before dropping his re-election bid in August 2023.
LaBruno challenged the Bergen Democratic organization-endorsed candidates in the June 2025 primary and was the top vote-getter. In the general election, Republican Assemblymen Robert Auth (51,116) and John Azzariti (50,362) defeated LaBruno (48,474) and former Woodcliff Lake Council President Donna Abene (48,238).
According to the New York Post, a criminal complaint alleges LaBruno went to the Englewood home of a child he met online and sprayed “an unknown substance into his hand” before “placing it over the victim’s mouth and nose, causing the victim dizziness.”
More from the New York Post:
Authorities said they had enough probable cause evidence to arrest LaBruno, including statements he made at the scene of the crime captured on body worn cameras, the victim’s account and “corroborating physical evidence” taken from the scene and from “actors,” the complaint says.
Cops responded to the scene after a call was made to 911 and found the victim was suffering from “cognitive impairment,” the complaint says.
The victim was brought to a local hospital for treatment, the complaint says.
LaBruno is currently being held without bail in Bergen County Jail and is expected to appear in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack later Tuesday.
ADVERTISEMENTHe’s has been suspended without pay, according to a report by ABC 7.
It was not immediately known who was representing LaBruno in the case.
LaBruno’s campaign website site touts the fact that he’s a family man who has worked in public service for years and founded his own charity.
