A New Jersey mayor accused of drunk driving allegedly drove her toddler home from daycare on St. Patrick’s Day in her drunken stupor nearly crashing on the road only days after resigning from her job with another town.
Lumberton Township leader Gina LaPlaca was arrested for her alleged booze-induced stunt on March 17 after she picked up her 2-year-old son from daycare.
The 45-year-old Democrat was allegedly captured on video by another driver swerving all over the road, nearly crashing into a utility pole before the footage was shared with police, WPVI reported citing charging documents.
Police traced the car back to LaPlaca’s house where they met the mayor on Monday at around 6 p.m.
The toddler was found strapped in a car seat in the rear passenger seat.
Officers also discovered an open container of alcohol, the outlet reported.
LaPlaca allegedly admitted to drinking while driving and was put through a field sobriety test.
She was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, according to the outlet.
Police also charged LaPlaca with reckless driving and endangering the welfare of a child, according to court records viewed by The Post.
She was released with a summons to appear in court on April 28.
LaPlaca’s husband defended his wife saying she had been struggling with addiction and is getting the needed help, calling on critics to not attack their children’s mother.
“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,” Jason Carty wrote on Facebook.
LaPlaca shares a toddler son with Carty and has a teenage stepson from her husband’s previous relationship.
She was first elected to the Lumberton Township Committee in 2020.
The five-member panel first chose LaPlaca to serve a one-year term as mayor in 2021. She was reelected the past three years.
She worked for the Jersey Shore-area Neptune Township since November 2021, serving as the assistant business administrator before being elevated to business administrator in January 2022.
LaPlaca resigned from the position before a township committee meeting on March 10, the Asbury Park Press reported.
She claimed the “changing political environment” was her reason to leave the township job, which is located 50 miles northeast across the Garden State from Lumberton.
The Fordham Law School graduate held several counsel roles including a nearly three-year stint in the New Jersey General Assembly Majority Office.
She then worked in the private sector for 11 years, first as the Director of State Affairs with Verizon, before taking on the Regional Director role at American brewery giant Anheuser-Busch for seven months, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Along with her role as mayor and Township committee member, LaPlaca also serves as the chairwoman of the Lumberton Democrats.
