A New Jersey mayor has been charged with driving under the influence and endangering her child after allegedly having a near-fatal crash while driving drunk with her 2-year-old son in the car.
Lumberton Mayor Gina LaPlaca, 45, was arrested at her home at around 6:00 p.m. on Monday, March 17, after she admitted to police to drinking before picking up her son from daycare, The Philadelphia Inquirer, WPVI and New Jersey 101.5 reported.
The Democrat mayor was seen in video footage taken by a witness driving her 2019 BMW “erratically” swerving across lanes and “nearly hitting a utility pole” as her child sat in the rear car seat, court documents state per the outlets.
Police traced the car back to the mayor’s home where she was arrested. They also found an open container of alcohol in the car, according to reports.
LaPlaca was reportedly charged with reckless driving, child neglect and endangerment, driving under the influence, driving with an expired license and related offenses.
Gina LaPlaca Facebook
The mayor’s arrest comes after she resigned from her position as business administrator for Neptune Township due to “the changing political environment” on March 10, Ashbury Park Press reported.
LaPlaca’s husband, Jason Carty, shared on Facebook that his wife is getting help with addiction following her arrest.
“Millions of Americans struggle with addiction and never get help. Gina LaPlaca is someone who has struggled, and is now getting the help she needs,” Carty wrote on Tuesday, March 18.
“I ask that everyone keep her in their thoughts as she moves forward on her road to recovery. Please ignore the exaggerated political hyperbole and keep in mind her passion for helping others. This should not erase all the things she has accomplished for our community.”
Lumberton Mayor Gina LaPlaca Facebook
“Gina is a loving and caring mother and stepmom to our son and her stepson. Our oldest is a teenager and can see the unkind things being said online. I ask simply that you respect our privacy, be better humans and please show some compassion, thank you,” he concluded.
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LaPlaca was elected to the township committee in 2020. She was re-elected in 2023. She held her job as Neptune Township business administrator since January 2022, per the Asbury Park Press.
She is scheduled to appear in court on April 28, per WPVI.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Lumberton Police for comment.
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