State Grand Jury Indicts Woodbridge Police Sergeant in Connection with May 2025 Fatal Police-Involved Shooting in Woodbridge Township, N.J.

State Grand Jury Indicts Woodbridge Police Sergeant in Connection with May 2025 Fatal Police-Involved Shooting in Woodbridge Township, N.J.

by NJOAG Communications WC | Apr 7, 2026 | 911 calls | Aggravated Manslaughter | baseball bat | Carteret | Fatal Police Shooting | Independent Prosecutor Directive of 2019 | Indictment | Investigation | manslaughter | Middlesex County | New Brunswick | Office of Public Integrity and Accountability | OPIA | Robert Wood johnson University Hospital | State Grand Jury | testimony and evidence | Woodbridge Police Department | Woodbridge Township | Office of Public Integrity and Accountability | Press Release | Public Integrity |

For Immediate Release: April 7, 2026

Office of The Attorney General
– Jennifer Davenport, Attorney General
Office of Public Integrity and Accountability
– Eric L. GIbson, Executive Director

For Further Information:

Media Inquiries-
Dan Prochilo
OAGpress@njoag.gov

TRENTON — A state grand jury, acting under the law that requires the presentation of fatal police encounters to a grand jury, has returned an indictment against a Woodbridge Police sergeant in connection with a May 29, 2025 fatal shooting in Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County, which led to the death of Aamir Allen, 35, of Carteret, New Jersey.

After hearing testimony and evidence, the grand jury finished deliberating on April 6, 2026, and voted to indict Woodbridge Police Sergeant Marco Bruno, who fired a series of shots that struck and killed Mr. Allen, with aggravated manslaughter (1st degree).

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

Mr. Allen’s death was investigated by the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), and the case was presented to New Jersey residents serving on the grand jury in accordance with the Independent Prosecutor Directive of 2019. The directive was issued following the enactment of a state law requiring the Attorney General’s Office to investigate deaths that occur during encounters with law enforcement.

The investigation included witness interviews, a review of 911 calls, video footage captured by police body-worn cameras and a private security camera, photographs, radio transmissions, and autopsy results from a medical examiner. Evidence, including videos of the shooting, was presented to the grand jury. Following deliberations, the grand jury voted to file an aggravated manslaughter charge against the defendant.

According to the investigation, on May 29, 2025, shortly after 1:00 a.m., officers from the Woodbridge Police Department were dispatched to a residence on East Tappen Street in the Port Reading section of Woodbridge Township, in response to multiple 911 calls. The callers reported an assault with injuries during an incident involving a male, later identified as Aamir Allen, who had a baseball bat.

Responding officers encountered Mr. Allen, who was carrying a bat while walking in the roadway. Officers repeatedly ordered Mr. Allen to drop the bat. Mr. Allen did not drop the bat and began walking away as officers followed him from a distance. Mr. Allen stopped walking outside a closed convenience store in Port Reading, where he stood holding the bat as officers continued ordering him to drop the bat.

The defendant responded to the scene shortly after a transmission was broadcast over the police radio reporting that Mr. Allen had struck occupied cars with the bat. The defendant exited the vehicle and, after issuing several commands for Mr. Allen to drop the bat, fired six shots from his service weapon. Mr. Allen was wounded and was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick at approximately 1:40 a.m. He was pronounced deceased at 9:21 a.m.

Today, video footage from body worn cameras, surveillance cameras, as well as 911 calls related to this fatal incident, are being released pursuant to policies established by the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 to promote the fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of fatal police encounters.  Investigators provided representatives of Mr. Allen’s family an opportunity to review the recordings before their public release.

The recordings are available here: https://njoag.box.com/s/9l1izbzat13ixf9ylje8i8ux9yes8vq4

The investigation is ongoing and no further information is available at this time.

N.J.S.A. 52:17B-107(a)(2) requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved.

First-degree aggravated manslaughter carries a sentence of 10 to 30 years in New Jersey state prison, subject to the “No Early Release Act,” and a fine of up to $200,000.

The charge contained in the indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Defense attorney:
For Bruno: Patrick J. Caserta, Esq.

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