Leonard Filipowski, a self-described First Amendment auditor better known as Leroy Truth, was indicted yesterday for assaulting a Union City police officer late last year, claiming that video from the incident exonerates him.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Leonard Filipowski has been charged with third-degree aggravated assault. No court date has been set. We do not comment on pending cases,” Essex County Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Carmen Martin said in an email this morning.
The indictment stems from an arrest at the Union City Board of Education on November 14th, 2025, where Filipowski was doing a YouTube livestream as he filled out an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request.
Two police officers, including then-Lt. Glen Gaston (he’s since been promoted to captain) asked Filipowski to be respectful since he asked a parent about alleged sexual assaults occurring at the school in front of a child.
Gaston pressed on and the two got into an argument, with Filipowski telling him he did not wish to speak with him and eventually to shut his mouth, before a back-and-forth ensued, ending with Gaston grabbing Filipowski, them both falling the ground, and with Filipowski being handcuffed.
The Union City Police Department charged him with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and obstructing a governmental function by means of physical interference.
The incident was reviewed by an Essex County grand jury before they came back with an indictment for third-degree aggravated assault.
“I was just indicted on completely false charges. A grand jury was convened, I was told I was indicted today, even though I have exculpatory evidence, which means proves ones innocence, and the assistant prosecutor, Dawn Simonetti, should have never brought this to a grand jury,” Filipowski said in a YouTube livestream late last night.
“I was targeted. The video proves I’m innocent. And what the lying officer, Ivis Arias, said in the police report, is she said that Mr. Filipowski, my legal name, ‘forcefully struck Lt. Gaston in the upper body area causing him to fall backwards.’ It didn’t happen. Literally, they just pulled that out of the air.”
Filipowski has been attending meetings in Union City for about 28 months and has become a nemesis of state Senator (D-33)/Mayor Brian Stack, who has said Filipowski has gone after his family and is an operative paid by Mayor Nick Sacco.
Both Sacco and Filipowski have denied ever having any sort of business relationship, though Stack’s camp has pointed to former 33rd Legislative District Assembly candidate Tony Hector, who was backed by Sacco, paying Filipowski $10,000 for advertising last year.
Filipowski is being represented by Brooklyn-based criminal defense attorney Jacob Uriel.
Why was he indicted in Essex County? Is there a presumption of unfairness in Hudson County?
Yes there is a presumption of unfairness. They arrested my mo. APRIL 24, 2026. for these same accusations. We need help getting her out they still have her.
Does anyone who actually watched the video believe that Leroy should go to jail for this? I like Brian Stack, however this is nonsense.