New Jersey mayor Gina LaPlaca was caught staggering and stumbling — at one point even bursting into tears — as officers moved to arrest her for driving drunk with her 2-year-old son in the car earlier this month, newly released video shows.
LaPlaca was arrested on St. Patrick’s Day, after she admitted to drinking alcohol before going to pick up her son from day care.
Bodycam footage of the encounter, obtained by NBC Philadelphia, shows officers approach the 45-year-old Democrat in the driveway of her Lumberton home around 5:40 p.m. while she pulls her toddler from the backseat of her 2019 BMW.
“Are you OK?” one officer asks her.
“Yes, I am,” says LaPlaca, who then immediately stumbles.
The officers then explain they got “lots of calls, multiple claims, that you ran a red light and were swerving.” The mayor quickly apologizes, but the officers press on, questioning her about the visible damage to her vehicle, specifically about what happened to the mirror on its passenger’s side.
“I don’t know,” she tells them.
The clip also shows LaPlaca undergoing a field sobriety test, during which she struggles to stand on one foot and maintain her balance in general. She’s then taken into custody, and can be seen tearfully apologizing to the officer helping her into the back of the police cruiser.
A subsequent search of LaPlaca’s vehicle turned up a plastic water bottle filled with vodka as well as a small bottle of liquor, police said.
In the wake of the incident, LaPlaca’s husband, Jason Carty, revealed in a Facebook post that his wife is working on herself and getting help for her issues.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
LaPlaca has been charged with reckless driving, child neglect and endangerment, driving under the influence, driving with an expired license and related offenses. She has also faced calls to resign as Lumberton Township’s mayor, a post she’s held since 2023.
