The quiet community of Dumont, New Jersey, and the ranks of the Jersey City Police Department were utterly blindsided by the news on November 17. The arrest of 44-year-old Andrew LaBruno, a man who recently served as mayor and was a current police sergeant, has sent a genuine shockwave across the region. He now faces a horrifying list of charges, including first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. It’s a devastating and shocking downfall for a public figure who was previously known for service and even ran for the New Jersey Assembly.
The whole nightmare began to unfold after the Englewood Police Department flagged a serious tip to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office about an alleged sexual assault involving a juvenile.
Investigators quickly pieced together the disturbing sequence of events: LaBruno, who authorities confirmed had no prior connection to the victim, allegedly initiated contact with the minor through a social media platform. This online interaction then paved the way for an arranged, in-person meeting at the victim’s Englewood home when the juvenile was alone—the very time and place the devastating assault is alleged to have happened.
What has truly horrified people are the specific details that have emerged from court documents. Authorities are alleging that LaBruno used an unthinkable method to subdue the young victim. He is accused of spraying an unknown chemical substance into his hand and then pressing it over the juvenile’s mouth, essentially incapacitating the child before allegedly forcing sexual acts. This chilling, calculated element adds another incredibly serious layer of gravity to the already severe criminal charges he’s facing.
The incident itself came to an abrupt, sudden halt when the victim’s father returned home unexpectedly during the alleged assault and immediately contacted law enforcement. This interruption was critical. LaBruno was later tracked down and apprehended at a private residence in Englewood while allegedly attempting to retrieve his cell phone. For a man who built his life on public trust, his professional world has already collapsed: the Jersey City Police Department swiftly suspended him without pay, a clear acknowledgment of the extreme seriousness of the accusations brought against one of their high-ranking officers.
LaBruno, who was Dumont’s mayor from 2020 to 2023, was immediately taken to the Bergen County Jail following his arrest. He’s currently being held there without bail, an automatic measure given the nature of the first-degree charge. This situation is pending a crucial pretrial detention hearing.
That legal proceeding, which is scheduled for Friday in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ, will be the first major point of drama in this case. It will determine whether LaBruno must remain locked up until his trial, given the compelling evidence and the nature of the crimes as presented by the prosecution. The prosecution will undoubtedly argue that a man facing such serious, violent charges and a possible decades-long sentence is a flight risk and a danger to the community.
The arrest of a public leader and a law enforcement officer on such horrific charges is a matter of profound and widespread concern. The case has already drawn a massive spotlight as it moves through the courts. While these are currently just accusations, the former mayor and police sergeant now faces a lengthy, high-stakes legal battle with the very real possibility of spending decades in prison if convicted. The outcome of his upcoming detention hearing will be the first major signal in a case that is absolutely guaranteed to grip the entire region.
You can learn more about a similar case in this video: Retired Town and County police sergeant charged with years of child sex abuse. This video discusses a different case involving a retired police sergeant charged with child sex crimes, providing a comparative context of such allegations against law enforcement figures.
