Ex-mayor charged with raping teen will be released on bail after judge says new evidence ‘weakens’ allegation

Former Dumont Mayor Andrew LaBruno will be released from jail as he awaits trial on charges that he raped a teenage boy last year.

LaBruno, a Jersey City police sergeant and 2025 Assembly nominee, will be released as long as he seeks counseling and does not attempt to communicate with the victim or the victim’s father, nor can he interfere with the investigation. LaBruno will also be allowed to work set hours at a second job as a marketing official at local funeral homes — he was suspended from his police role without pay.

LaBruno was arrested on November 17 for allegedly drugging and raping the underage boy by spraying a substance into his hand and placing it over the teen’s mouth. LaBruno is charged with committing sexual penetration through the use of coercion and without consent, and knowingly engaging in sexual conduct with a child.

Superior Court Judge Gary Wilcox denied LaBruno bail late last year, determining he was a risk to his community and a risk of obstructing the investigation. LaBruno’s attorney, Jeffrey Garrigan, filed a motion earlier this month that Wilcox described as “quite voluminous.” The motion was marked confidential, but Garrigan said in court Thursday that toxicology reports and medical examinations contradicted allegations against LaBruno.

“We now know that his story has changed dramatically,” Garrigan said. “We now know that the toxicology does not support what he’s claiming.”

After some time deliberating in his chambers, Wilcox emerged and said the defense “has raised evidence in the form of an expert report that the court believes weakens that allegation.”

“The court is, at this time, not in any position to rule on a motion to dismiss that count. … However, it does, in the court’s opinion, weaken the state’s case to the point that the court now believes that there are conditions that can be met to ensure the safety of the public and that the defendant will not obstruct or attempt to obstruct the criminal justice process,” Wilcox said.

Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Sara Wilson opposed the decision, arguing that prosecutors intend to use experts and toxicology reports to prove the crime at trial, and that the questions in play are trial issues.

“This defendant is still a risk to the public, to the victim, to himself, and to [potential] obstruction,” Wilson said.

Wilson argued that because LaBruno is a police officer and political candidate, he could use that influence to sway the investigation or the victim. LaBruno’s attorney rejected that argument, arguing he had few allies because he had run against the Bergen County Democratic machine last year.

“Who are the people that he’s going to reach out to to influence this victim? Other politicians? They don’t want anything to do with him,” Garrigan said. “They didn’t want anything to do with him when he ran. That’s why he lost.”

Under bail, LaBruno is also barred from the possession of weapons, the excessive use of alcohol, or the use of narcotics. An initial case conference is scheduled for May 11. The New Jersey Globe has learned that the bail paperwork has been processed, and LaBruno is set to be released by early evening.