NJ police officer and former mayor accused of using knock-out spray on teen before sex assault

🚨 Jersey City police sergeant & former Dumont mayor is charged with criminal offenses involving a juvenile

👮‍♂️ Andrew LaBruno is accused of sexual assault at the teen’s Englewood home.

🏛️ LaBruno, a Democrat, recently ran for state Assembly, but lost.

A Jersey City police sergeant who once served as mayor of Dumont is accused of sexually assaulting a juvenile he met using a social media app.

Investigators also accuse the public official of using a knock-out spray on the victim before the sexual assault.

Andrew LaBruno, a Democrat, also ran for state Assembly in District 39 but lost earlier this month.

Bergen County charges filed after Englewood police alert prosecutors

The 44-year-old LaBruno has been charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

He was suspended without pay immediately after his arrest, Jersey City officials said.

On Monday, Englewood police contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, about LaBruno’s accused actions.

Prosecutor: Sergeant met juvenile through social media and arranged meeting

LaBruno began chatting with a juvenile, previously unknown to him, on an app and made arrangements to meet, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.

LaBruno then arrived at the juvenile’s home in Englewood, where the accused sexual assault took place.

Bergen County prosecutors say LaBruno arranged to meet at the minor’s home, where he is accused of spraying a chemical on his hand, which he then placed over the victim's nose and mouth, making the victim dizzy just before sexual penetration.

Ex–Dumont mayor’s political history and personal background

He has currently been working within the Jersey City Office of Emergency Management, according to his recent campaign website.

LaBruno now lives in Dumont with his wife and two children.

He began his first term with the Dumont Borough Council in 2018 and then was mayor through 2023.

On Tuesday, he was being held at Bergen County Jail, pending a detention hearing in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack.

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