BROOKLAWN, N.J. — Bruce Darrow, a 73-year-old Brooklawn councilman who spent 15 years as school board president, faces a third-degree theft charge for allegedly taking over $6,000 from a Camden County youth basketball league he led for a decade. Gloucester City Police filed the charge on May 19. It covers September 2016 through March 2026, overlapping with both his board presidency and the council tenure he began in April 2024.

The Carmen Palmiero Basketball League held no charitable registration with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, no Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) filing and no corporate record with the state. Checks of the IRS Exempt Organizations Search, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs charities registry and state corporate filings found no record of the league. As an unincorporated association it had no legal obligation to file financial reports, maintain meeting minutes or submit to audits. No independent board reviewed its finances during the ten years Darrow served as president. Third-degree theft in New Jersey covers amounts from $500 to $75,000. The alleged amount exceeds the $500 minimum threshold by at least twelve times.

Darrow, in an interview with Gloucester City News / Cleary's Notebook, an outlet where he has published 68 articles and whose editor has known him for more than 50 years, told a reporter he carried a TD Bank card belonging to the league. "I have 5 green TD bank cards that all look alike," he said. "One of those cards belonged to the CPBL [Carmen Palmiero Basketball League], which I used to buy things that were needed for the CPBL. I have a personal credit card from that bank, and I must have mistakenly used the league's card to make a personal purchase." The editor, William E. Cleary Sr., wrote that he could attest to Darrow's exceptional character, recommending him without reservation.

Records show that Darrow held leadership roles in multiple youth basketball organizations, none of which hold charitable or corporate registration. A LeagueLineup page lists him as League President of the Gloucester City Basketball League. He also served as Tournament Director for the Gloucester County Basketball League, which hosted events in Gloucester City. The Carmen Palmiero League itself operated in Gloucester City, a separate municipality from his council seat in Brooklawn, though both sit inside Camden County.

Darrow has served on the borough council since 2024, when he was appointed to fill an unexpired term. In 2025 he won election to the council outright. He chairs the council's Ballparks Committee, which oversees municipal field maintenance and recreational facility funding. The borough's Planning and Zoning Board, where Darrow also serves, evaluates redevelopment projects for compliance with the municipal master plan. He also chairs the council's Flooding Committee and its Finance Committee, in addition to serving as School Board Liason. These roles give him influence over both legislative appropriations and land-use regulatory decisions in the borough of 1,815 residents, according to the 2020 Census.

For 30 years Darrow co-organized the Brooklawn Wiffle Ball Tournament with Thomas MacAdams, a former Brooklawn council member who died in 2014. The tournament held its 30th and final event on August 24, 2019, according to a tournament directory. Darrow told a reporter the tournament raised $10,000 annually, which would total approximately $300,000 over three decades by his own estimate.

Darrow's son Austin coached the head boys basketball team at Alice Costello School, the borough's only K-8 school, in 2021. He drew a $2,800 stipend while his father served as volunteer assistant for $0, according to a board agenda. Angel Rodriguez, who lived with the Darrows as a youth and later served as Brooklawn Board of Education Vice President in 2023, also coached at Alice Costello. Darrow told Gloucester City News he donated approximately $10,000 in coaching salary back to the school for sneakers and equipment, claiming he coached there for three years "over a decade ago." The 2021 agenda, however, lists him as volunteer assistant with $0 compensation.

During Darrow's board presidency, the Brooklawn Board of Education paid $100,000 to settle a 2017 bullying case at Alice Costello School, filed under docket CAM-L-4761-14 in Camden County Superior Court, with Judge Michael Kassel presiding. The district admitted no wrongdoing; just over half the settlement went to the student and the balance to the student’s attorney, Kevin Costello of Mount Laurel. The board also paid $25,000 to settle a 2016 lawsuit. Both settlements were confidential.

Darrow had made no public statement as of May 23, according to searches of municipal websites, news outlets and public records. He continues to serve on the Brooklawn Borough Council; Borough officials have not said whether he will retain his position and his committee posts. Borough officials and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office have not issued statements beyond the initial charge confirmation.

Darrow faces a Central Judicial Processing hearing in Camden County Superior Court. A risk assessment system, which replaced monetary bail in 2017, will evaluate his case for pretrial release. The hearing will determine whether he walks free before trial. It will not determine what happened to the money, or whether a man accused of 10 years of financial misconduct in a youth league will still oversee municipal spending.

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Sources

• Gloucester City Police Department, Bureau of Police, City of Gloucester, "Media Release: Theft (3rd Degree) Charges" (May 19, 2026)

• Brooklawn Borough, "Mayor and Council" (last updated February 20, 2026)

• Brooklawn Borough, "Planning and Zoning Board" (last updated January 21, 2026)

• IRS Exempt Organizations Search, New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs Charities Registry and State Corporate Filings (accessed May 22, 2026)

• William E. Cleary Sr., Gloucester City News / Cleary's Notebook, "Community Activist Bruce Darrow Charged With Alleged Theft" (May 20, 2026)

• CNBNews Digital Archive, "Author BRUCE DARROW (68)" (accessed May 22, 2026)

• LeagueLineup, Gloucester City Basketball League, "League Home" (accessed May 22, 2026)

• Wiffleballtournaments.com, "Tommy MacAdams Brooklawn WIFFLE Ball Reunion (30th & Final)" (August 24, 2019)

• Alice Costello School Board of Education, "Agenda: Regular Meeting" (October 21, 2021)

• Southern Connecticut State University, Department of Athletics, Baseball, "Austin Darrow" (accessed May 22, 2026)

• Camden County Board of Freeholders, Proclamation to Angel Rodriguez, Young Community Leader Award (2017)

• Brooklawn Public School District, Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2024 (filed with NJ Department of Education, district code 07-0580)

• Courier-Post, "Brooklawn school district settles bullying suit for $100,000" (October 30, 2017)

• Courier-Post, "Brooklawn schools settle lawsuit for $25,000" (March 2016)

• Camden County Clerk, "2024 General Election Unofficial Results" (November 5, 2024)

• U.S. Census Bureau, "2020 Census: Brooklawn, New Jersey" (2021)