Director Of Garden State Equality Charged With Child Endangerment, Assault

NEPTUNE CITY, NJ — The executive director of Garden State Equality, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group located in Asbury Park, was charged with child endangerment and assault, according to Neptune City Police.

The non-profit organization said he was immediately placed on leave once they learned of the arrest. The group has national recognition.

Christian Fuscarino was arrested Nov. 21 by Neptune City Police at his home in Neptune City. Fuscarino, 35, was charged with one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of simple assault, said Neptune City Police Chief Matthew Quagliato.

It is a boy he is accused of assaulting, and he is the boy's foster parent, according to an affidavit released by the Monmouth County Prosecutor.

According to the affidavit, on Nov. 20 the Monmouth County Prosecutor received a referral from the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) about the alleged physical abuse of a boy in Neptune City. Fuscarino is listed as a resource parent for the child, and he was arrested the next day.

The incident took place on Nov. 9, in the evening, said police: "An incident caught on video revealed that on November 9, 2025, (the boy's) resource parent, Christian Fuscarino, pulled (the child) from bed and appeared to strike (him) multiple times across the face, then pushed against the bedroom wall. Fuscarino appears to stop and speak to (the boy) before striking him again," according to the affidavit.

The child was brought to the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center by their other resource parent, said police. That other parent and Fuscarino have maintained separate residences since November 2024.

Police said a forensic interview was conducted with the child, who gave no disclosure of physical abuse.

"Another resident of the home gave a formal statement on November 20 and confirmed that he saw Fuscarino hit (the child) and intervened," read the affidavit. "Video of the incident was captured by a home recording system."

Some time after the alleged assault on Nov. 9, Fuscarino did tell a caseworker there had been an episode of physical contact between him and the child, but did not provide details. A third party was then contacted to inquire if he was aware of any physical abuse of the child in the home, and he confirmed that there had been an incident, and that it had been captured on video. That was when DCP&P acquired the video and contacted the Monmouth County Prosecutor.

On the day he was arrested, Fuscarino was taken into custody, processed and taken to the Monmouth County Jail pending court proceedings. He has since been released from jail pending a future court hearing, said the police chief. Child endangerment in the second degree is an indictable offense.

Garden State Equality said Fuscarino was immediately placed on leave after the non-profit learned he had been arrested. His bio page on the organization's website was also taken down. Garden State Equality published the following statement to their Facebook page late in the day Tuesday:

"Garden State Equality takes allegations against our staff seriously and we oppose violence of any kind. When we learned about the charge against Mr. Fuscarino, we immediately placed him on leave. We respect the courts and will allow that process to be handled by them. We will continue our important work with our acting Executive Director."

Fuscarino is represented by Mitchell Ansell, a well-known Monmouth County defense attorney, of the Ansell, Grimm and Aaron law firm.

"Christian Fuscarino has dedicated his life to fighting for equality for all of New Jersey's residents," Ansell said Tuesday. "On November 9 a difficult personal family moment occurred. Unfortunately, this private moment has now become public. Christian and his family are working through the proper channels to address this. For anyone concerned, please know that everyone is safe and no physical harm was caused. Consistent with the values he has brought to ever cause he ever championed, Christian remains focused on doing the right thin and becoming a better person. As Christian's family navigates this situation, they ask for privacy and express their love and support for him."