Former Mayor and Police Sergeant Faces Serious Charges in New Jersey
A sergeant with the New Jersey State Police and a former Democratic mayor has been charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a child he reportedly met online, as confirmed by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to Jersey City Police Sergeant Mark Musella, authorities arrested 44-year-old Andrew Labruno on Monday. He faces multiple charges, including aggravated sexual assault, sexual battery, and endangering a child’s welfare.
The alleged incident is said to have taken place early in the morning at a residence in Englewood, New Jersey. Investigators claim Labruno contacted the boy through a social media platform, arranged a meeting, and went to the victim’s home while he was alone.
The situation escalated when Labruno reportedly “sprayed an unknown substance on his hands” and then “placed it in the victim’s mouth and nose, making the victim feel dizzy.” The complaint suggests that the substance left the boy “physically incapacitated,” after which Labruno is accused of sexually assaulting him. It’s not entirely clear who dialed 911, but when police arrived, they found the victim displaying signs of “cognitive impairment.”
Authorities apprehended Labruno after gathering evidence and statements at the scene, captured on body cameras. The victim was subsequently taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Labruno has been a member of the Jersey City Police Department for nearly 26 years. Interestingly, he had just run for a state House seat as a Democrat in New Jersey’s 39th District but lost in the recent election. He previously served on the Dumont Borough Council and held the mayoral position in Dumont from 2020 to 2023.
Currently, he is being held in the Bergen County Jail without the option of bail. Reports indicate that the Jersey City Police Department has suspended him without pay. Despite his connections and community roles—like coaching youth sports through Dumont Recreation—this situation marks a severe turn in his career.
Efforts to reach the Jersey City Mayor’s Office and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office for comments have so far gone unanswered.
