A nationally recognized advocate for LGBTQ+ rights has been placed on leave following allegations of the assault of a child.
Christian Fuscarino, the executive director of Garden State Equality, was placed on leave shortly after he was charged with the crimes, the organization said in a statement.
Fuscarino was arrested by Neptune City police on Nov. 21 on a second-degree endangering the welfare of a child charge and two counts of simple assault. The case has since been referred to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Garden State Equality takes allegations against our staff seriously and we oppose violence of any kind,” the statement said. “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.”
The organization said an acting executive director is now in charge, but did not name the person. The statement did not say whether Fuscarino’s leave is paid or unpaid.
Authorities allege the assault occurred at Fuscarino‘s Neptune City home about 8 p.m. on Nov. 9. Fuscarino, 35, is accused of pulling the child out of bed, striking the child’s face multiple times with an open hand and slamming the body of the youth into a wall several times, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The alleged assault was captured on a home surveillance system, authorities said. Investigators with the state’s Division of Child Protection and Permanency acquired the video and notified the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office on Nov. 20.
After the abuse, the child was taken by a caretaker to the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center, a facility in Freehold that investigates claims of child abuse. A forensic interview was conducted at the center, “with no disclosure of physical abuse,” the affidavit states. However, another resident of the home came forward, confirming that he intervened when he saw Fuscarino hitting the child.
The affidavit also states that Fuscarino told a resource worker that there had been “an episode of physical contact” between himself and the child. The document did not disclose the age or gender of the victim or say what the child’s relationship is with Fuscarino.
Fuscarino‘s attorney, Mitchell Ansell, called the situation a “difficult personal family moment.”
“For anyone concerned, please know that everyone is safe and no physical harm was caused,” Ansell told N J Advance Media. “Consistent with the values he has brought to every cause he ever championed, Christian remains focused on doing the right thing and becoming a better person.”
Fuscarino has served as the executive director of Asbury Park based Garden State Equality, the largest LGBTQ+ organization in New Jersey, since 2016.
In a July 2018 story posted to NJ.com,Fuscarino said he wanted to dedicate his life to helping New Jersey’s LGBTQ+ community so that others would not have to suffer the indignities that he endured in adolescence.
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