Police body cam video shows Lumberton Township, New Jersey, mayor's arrest for DUI, child endangerment
Video shows the moments before a South Jersey mayor was
arrested for allegedly driving under the influence
.
Lumberton Township, New Jersey, Mayor Gina LaPlaca is seen in the police body cam footage stumbling and losing her balance during a field sobriety test on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17.
Police say she admitted she had been drinking before she picked up her two-year-old son from day care. Court documents show she was charged with DUI and child endangerment.
Before her arrest, police say a witness captured video of LaPlaca swerving out of the proper lane and nearly hitting a utility pole, according to the criminal complaint. Police say when officers searched LaPlaca's car, they also found an open container of alcohol.
LaPlaca's husband said she is getting help at a rehab facility.
She's due in court in late April.
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The husband of New Jersey Mayor Gina LaPlaca, who was charged with driving drunk while her toddler in the car last month, said the public should go easy on her because she is not the 'mayor of some big city.' 'It's not like she's the mayor of some big city. Lumberton has only 13,000 people,' LaPlaca's husband Jason Carty told The Philadelphia Inquirer Friday. 'All I want is for my wife to get better and for everyone to leave her alone.' The 45-year-old Democrat was allegedly captured on video by another driver swerving all over the road and nearly crashing into a utility pole after she picked up her 2-year-old son from daycare on St. Patrick's Day. Police arrived at LaPlaca's house and found her toddler strapped in a car seat in the rear passenger seat. The officers then make her perform field sobriety tests, where she can be seen stumbling again when asked to stand on one leg. While investigating her car, officers allegedly found a water bottle filled with alcohol and a small liquor bottle. LaPlaca was then arrested and charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving, and endangering the welfare of a child. She was released with a summons to appear in court on April 28. Carty, a former fire chief for Westhampton, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that his wife is 'in an inpatient facility and on a path to recovery.' Last week, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy urged LaPlaca to 'put her public duties aside.' However, LaPlaca, who was elected mayor of Lumberton in 2022 by a five-person committee and won reelection in 2023 and 2024, confirmed in an email late last month that she would not resign from her mayoral position. 'I will not be resigning my position. Our community needs to be more kind and understanding about people trying to better themselves. As we all know, there is a huge black eye and black cloud over our town right now,' the email obtained by Fox 29 read. Outraged residents of Lumberton Township packed a committee board meeting following her arrest and email saying she would not resign to rally against the 45-year-old Democrat mayor. LaPlaca's fellow committee member, Terrance Benson, sided with the residents and called for her resignation. 'My personal opinion is for the mayor to step down and to heal herself,' Benson said. Her arrest came just a week after she resigned as business administrator in Neptune Township, according to the Asbury Park Press. LaPlaca's resignation came after a video posted online showed her being escorted out of the Mount Holly Fire Commissioners meeting by police on March 5. In the 14-second video, LaPlaca was heard calling another woman a 'skank bi–h' while police removed her from the room. 'You have no idea what I've been through, you f–king skank bi–h,' she's heard yelling. The heated exchange was ignited when the public criticized her husband's appointment as captain of the Ewing Township Fire Department in Mercer County, the Asbury Park Press reported. Carty released a statement after the video was posted that he 'personally asked Gina to leave the meeting due to the harassment she was being subjected to by the unruly crowd.' 'Of course only a short clip was posted that shows her clapping back at them but the truth is she was harassed for over an hour. A few individuals made disgusting and misogynistic remarks to her and they should be ashamed of themselves,' he said. LaPlaca had been the business administrator in Neptune Township since January 2022.
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Husband of N.J. Mayor Charged with DUI While Their Toddler Was in Car Pleads for Public to ‘Leave Her Alone'
Gina LaPlaca, 45, was arrested and charged with a DUI and other related offenses on March 17 LaPlaca was also charged with child neglect and endangerment after allegedly having a near-fatal crash while driving drunk with her 2-year-old son in the car The mayor of Lumberton Township's husband, Jason Carty, is urging "everyone to leave her alone" amid her "path to recovery" from addiction The husband of a New Jersey town mayor who admitted to driving under the influence is defending her amid backlash that her 2-year-old son was endangered when she had a near-fatal crash while he was in the car. Gina LaPlaca, 45, the mayor of Lumberton Township was arrested and charged with several offenses, including a DUI, reckless driving, child neglect and endangerment, driving under the influence, and driving with an expired license, PEOPLE previously reported. Her admission to police on March 17 that she had been drinking 'a little bit of vodka' has garnered widespread anger. Body cam footage released by the Lumberton Police Department also showed LaPlaca appearing to stagger and slur her speech while being arrested in her driveway after she admitted to drinking before picking up her son from daycare, per PennLive, and local stations ABC6 and NBC 10. 'It's not like she's the mayor of some big city,' LaPlaca's husband Jason Carty told The Philadelphia Inquirer. 'Lumberton has only 13,000 people. All I want is for my wife to get better and for everyone to leave her alone.' He added to the outlet that his wife is currently 'in an inpatient facility and on a path to recovery.' This is not the first time that Carty has spoken about his wife's addiction following her arrest, as he shared an update on her situation on March 18. '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 Facebook. '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,' he added. 'This should not erase all the things she has accomplished for our community.' Police arrived at LaPlaca's home on March 17 after a witness saw a 2019 BMW driving 'erratically' and 'nearly hitting a utility pole' while a child sat in the rear car seat, PEOPLE previously reported. She was made to perform field sobriety tests and a plastic water bottle that an officer said reeked of alcohol was found in the car as police investigated. Police also found a small bottle of what appeared to be alcohol. LaPlaca is due to appear in court on April 28 to face charges related to the incident. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. She responded to requests for her to resign as mayor in an email saying, 'I will not be resigning my position,' according to Fox 29. 'Our community needs to be more kind and understanding about people trying to better themselves. As we all know, there is a huge black eye and black cloud over our town right now." She was elected to the Lumberton Township Committee in 2020 and reelected in 2023 while also holding a job as Neptune Township business administrator since January 2022. Her arrest last month came a week after she resigned from the latter role, local outlet Asbury Park Press reported. Read the original article on People
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Husband of Dem mayor arrested for DUI while driving toddler son hits back at critics
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