Michael Lubrano

Michael Lubrano was born in Hewitt, NJ. On March 25, 2000, when he was freshly 18, Lubrano and a friend were arrested in Kinnelon and charged with burglary after breaking into a car with a tire iron the day prior in order to steal a radar detector for the purpose of selling it. His sentence for that charge is unknown, though it is likely he entered a diversionary program in exchange for the charge being dismissed.

On February 8, 2003, Lubrano was arrested in his car in a mall parking lot and charged with possession of marijuana (less than 50 grams), along with a friend who was additionally charged with illegally possessing a stun gun. For this, Lubrano received various fees and fines totaling $1,005, and had his driver's license suspended for 6 months. Finally, in 2005, Lubrano received a $375 fine for illegal dumping after disposing liquid waste from his garbage truck into a river.

Michael drove to the sting house and was greeted by actress Casey Mauro , who was posing as the fourteen-year-old girl. She awkwardly asked how he was twice after he already answered and asked her as well before offering him some brownies. Michael happily accepted and took a bite out of one. Casey asked Michael if he brought marijuana. Michael pulled out marijuana that was primarily a stem. After being put to the sniff test, Casey stated that she was going to get something to drink and asked if Michael wanted something. That line seemed familiar to Michael, and as he followed the decoy, he stopped and was stunned to see Chris Hansen . Chris told Michael to take a seat and keep his hands out of his pockets, so Michael obliged. Chris then asked Michael what he brought. Michael explained that he brought "some pot."

Michael told Chris that he knew who he is and that he had seen the show, as well as complimenting Chris on his radio appearances on Opie and Anthony. He told Chris that he was thinking in the back of his mind that he needed this. Chris asked why, to which Michael said his life was going horribly, admitting what he did was wrong. He later started to laugh, saying as soon he saw the brownies, he knew he'd be running into Chris. Michael stated that he wasn't a religious To Catch a Predator viewer, (which Chris infamously misheard as Michael claiming he was a religious watcher) only watching it whenever he had spare time, such as clips online. Michael admitted he probably would have had sex with the girl, but he also "couldn't say," as every other time he tried to have sex it went badly for him. Michael acknowledged bringing condoms, claiming he always kept them in his car, joking that he was preparing for nothing. When exposed by Chris, Michael took his marijuana stem. He inquired as to whether he was going to be arrested, taking his time getting ready to leave. He acknowledged it would be a long night, gave Chris a fist bump, walked out of the house, and was arrested by police officers with no resistance.

Michael pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to endanger the welfare of a child, and in June of 2008, he was sentenced to lifetime parole and lifetime registration as a sex offender. Despite claiming he was unsure as to whether or not he would have sex with the girl, Michael suggested having sex with her and taking her to a strip club. He even acknowledged his intention to molest the girl when asked at his plea hearing. The video was later taken down, however, and has not been mirrored. According to The Cappening Channel, Michael seemed genuinely remorseful during the call, but acknowledged he simply wanted to move on with his life and forget it ever happened.

State law only allows Tier 2 and 3 (medium and high-risk) sex offenders' information to be public knowledge.

According to TCaP Case Studies in May 2025, Lubrano was involved in an incident in 2022 where he struck a woman in her sixties with his garbage truck in Spring Valley, New Jersey; he had made a left turn and attempted to break when he saw her but was not fast enough. The woman was taken to hospital reportedly in critical condition. The outcome of the subsequent court case is unknown, although it's likely Lubrano reached a settlement with the woman or was possibly even acquitted of wrongdoing.

Although little is known about Michael's life post-Dateline, some photographs of him in recent years have surfaced, showing he hasn't aged too poorly. While most fans agree that Michael's intentions were clear, it is still somewhat debated as to how dangerous Michael really was.