Its gotten so brutal in the Ironbound in the closing hours, with an anonymous flier fork-twisting into the candidacy of former Police Director Anthony Campos, who’s trying to take out incumbent East Ward Councilman Augusto “Augie” Amador.

Campos, though, says the piece could lift him to victory.

The piece shows him as a young cop in uniform, romping around with scantily clad women.  “Anthony Campos, You’ve been a bad boy,” the piece says, alongside a steely-eyed nun with a ruler, apparently looking to mete out punishment.

“The truth is I don’t think about it,” Campos told InsiderNJ. “I’ve run a positive campaign. People are sending me and texting me saying ‘I was on the fence, and look what that man did.’ They’re saying, ‘that was 25 years ago.’ Listen, I think he did me a favor in many ways.”

Campos accused Amador directly of sending out the mailer.

“Is he the one that mailed that to people’s homes?” he asked rhetorically. “Absolutely.”

The candidate said he was pumped for Election Day, and excited to receive the endorsement on Saturday night of state Senator Ronald L. Rice (D-28).

“I’ve known Ronny a very long time – a Marine,” Campos said.

The Amador v. Campos conflagration and the negative tone has sources in both camps (mildly) sweating a potential up through the middle late run by Crystal Fonseca, the school board member daughter of former Cory Booker Chief of Staff Pablo Fonseca.

The plan there apparently is for Amador and Campos to pummel each other into submission so that Fonseca squeaks through.

“My goal is the runoff,” the elder Fonseca told InsiderNJ from an Ironbound headquarters that has become his 24-7 operations bunker.

He cut loose from the Alex Cruz campaign in Paterson.

The Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins candidacy looks troubled at best, particularly given the endorsement of Ras Baraka by Sharpe James.

Fonseca has fallen back to the East Ward race, entrenching himself in the Ironbound with his daughter.

“I know Amador and Campos are formidable candidates, but I think there’s an opportunity to elect some fresh air to the Ironbound,” Fonseca said. “It’s time for women to become leaders.”

A Crystal Fonseca win seems like a long shot, say sources, who see a 20-year incumbent councilman in a bloodbath mano-a-mano with Campos. But even if she doesn’t make it – and pushes a convincing third place finish (there are other candidates in the contest, including Jonathan Seabra and Tanisha Garner), she and her father could find themselves in the position of anointing a runoff victor.

Fonseca and Amador historically haven’t gotten along well.

There was a 2008 Fonseca-spearheaded county committee effort for then-Mayor Booker that spilled into Amador’s ward and threatened the incumbent.

He held Fonseca responsible.

Campos and Fonseca, on the other hand, get along well.

They’re friends.

He says they’re going for the win but if Fonseca can gut out a strong third place finish, look for him to join forces with Campos in a runoff to stymie Amador – and – in a larger context the mayor, with whom he continues to fight.

“Pablo endorses Campos, Campos then supports [Crystal] Fonseca for freeholder,” speculated one source. “Pablo has support in north and east and can raise money. Pablo wants to be in the game.”