The family of a New Jersey mayor accused of driving under the influence while her 2-year-old son was in the car is asking the citizens of the town she governs for grace and compassion as she prepares to face charges in court and seek treatment for alcohol addiction.
According to WPVI, Gina LaPlaca was arrested at her home on St. Patrick’s Day after law enforcement was sent a video that allegedly showed LaPlaca driving erratically earlier that day.
Police said the video captured a vehicle swerving out of lanes and nearly hitting a utility pole at one point.
Court documents state that when authorities located that vehicle at LaPlaca’s home, they questioned her, and she admitted that she had been drinking before picking her son up from day care. Police said they also searched her car and found an open container of alcohol inside.
Officers also conducted a field sobriety test and said that LaPlaca “appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the offense.”
Soon after news broke about LaPlaca’s arrest, her husband, Jason Carty, took to Facebook to defend his wife, noting her struggle with addiction.
“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. I ask that everyone keep her in their thoughts as she moves forward on her road to recovery,” Carty wrote on Facebook.
He continued: “Gina is a loving and caring mother and step mom to our son and her step son. 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.”
LaPlaca was charged with driving under the influence, driving recklessly, and endangering a child. She’s scheduled to appear in court in April.
She was first elected to the Lumberton township committee in 2020 and was re-elected in 2023. The township is roughly 20 miles south of Trenton, New Jersey, and more than 20 miles west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
LaPlaca’s arrest comes shortly after she was captured on video swearing at a woman while police escorted her from a town meeting earlier this month. The video caught her calling the woman a “f—ing skank b—h.”
