Woodbridge police officer charged for fatal May 2025 shooting

A state grand jury indicted a Woodbridge police sergeant this week over the fatal shooting of a Carteret resident last May, Attorney General Jen Davenport announced Tuesday.

The grand jury charged Woodbridge Police Sgt. Marco Bruno with first-degree manslaughter over the slaying of Aamir Allen, 35, during a confrontation with local authorities following reports of an assault with a baseball bat.

Allen led officers to a closed convenience store while refusing orders to drop the bat. Bruno arrived and added his own order for Allen to disarm, according to body camera footage of the May 29, 2025, incident.

“Drop the f*cking bat, now,” Bruno said. “Drop the f*cking bat”

Allen made no move, standing still and holding the bat close to his chest with both hands. Bruno then shot him six times, the graphic body camera footage shows. He died at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick about eight hours later.

A police radio transmission during the incident said Allen had hit occupied cars with the bat, the Attorney General’s Office said.

Bruno’s attorney, Patrick Caserta, said an indictment requires a low legal standard.

“At the end of the day, the officers and the innocent civilians in the street are entitled to protection, to protect themselves and protect others. And the evidence is clearly going to show that my client’s actions are justified, and we look forward — very much so — to the opportunity to address that evidence,” Caserta said.

The charges are significant for their rarity.

In New Jersey, police use-of-force incidents are investigated by grand juries empaneled by the attorney general as a matter of law. The reviews are meant to bolster the independence of investigations that, criminal justice advocates say, could be tainted by the close relationships of police and prosecutors. Still, the reviews rarely lead to criminal charges.

“Every day, law enforcement bears the burden and responsibility of keeping the people of New Jersey safe,” Davenport said in a statement. “My office is fully committed to prosecuting this charge and ensuring that law enforcement only uses deadly force when lawful and necessary.”

The charges against Bruno carry a prison term of between 10 and 30 years, plus fines of up to $200,000.