Newly released bodycam footage shows the moment New Jersey mayor Gina LaPlaca staggers and starts crying while being arrested for allegedly driving drunk with her toddler on St. Patrick’s Day.
Cops approached the Lumberton Township mayor in the driveway of her home around 5:40 p.m. on March 17 after a concerned resident called 911 to report her erratic driving, the footage released by Lumberton Police shows.
Officers get out of a patrol car and wait for the 45-year-old Democratic Mayor to take her son, whom she had just picked up from daycare, out of his car seat.
“Are you OK?” one officer asks the mayor as she lifts the toddler out of her BMW Sedan.
“Yes, I am,” replies LaPlaca — just to immediately lose her balance and stagger into her car.
Cops then ask her about her side-view mirror, which is completely crushed, according to the footage.
LaPlaca tells officers her mirror had been damaged, but then mentions she had hit something, before adding vaguely, “I don’t know.”
The officers then make her perform field sobriety tests, where she can be seen stumbling again when asked to stand on one leg.
LaPlaca then begins weeping as officers place her in handcuffs, the footage shows.
‘I’m sorry,” she said to the officers.
Watch:
FULL BODY-CAM FOOTAGE: NJ Democrat Mayor accused of DUI with her toddler in the car
Gina LaPlaca, 45, Mayor of Lumberton, was charged with DUI and now faces calls for her resignation from Lumberton residents
Police confronted LaPlaca after a bystander reported her driving… pic.twitter.com/CL4053oqQM
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) March 28, 2025
While investigating LaPlaca’s car, officers allegedly found a water bottle filled with alcohol and a small liquor bottle.
She was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
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.
