Former NJ Mayor Drove Drunk While Taking Kid Home From Daycare: Prosecutor

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — The former mayor of Lumberton pleaded guilty on Monday to driving drunk while driving her child home from daycare, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said.

Gina LaPlaca, 46, was charged with driving under the influence and fourth-degree child abuse after she had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .30 percent, more than three times over the .08 legal limit, while behind the wheel.

She currently serves on the Lumberton Township Committee, a term that is set to run through 2026.

"I have never felt more humbled than I do standing before my community today," LaPlaca said on Tuesday. "The weight of my actions is something I carry deeply. What I did was wrong. It was dangerous. It was inexcusable."

In March 2025, another driver called police to report that LaPlaca was swerving across the centerline of a road in Lumberton and nearly hitting other vehicles.

She was taken into custody by Lumberton Police at her home after officers reviewed footage recorded by the other driver.

LaPlaca's young child was in the car at the time, along with an open container of alcohol, according to police and an affidavit filed in the case.

She was sentenced on Monday to three years of supervision under a diversionary program for first-time offenders, known as Pretrial Intervention (PTI).

Under this arrangement, LaPlace must continue to show proof of attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and comply with specific conditions in the PTI program.

Anyone who fails to abide can be removed from the program and prosecuted on their criminal charges.

"For many years, I have struggled privately with alcoholism. That struggle is no longer private, and it shouldn't be," LaPlaca added on Tuesday. "Addiction does not excuse my behavior, but it does explain the work I must continue to do."

She was also ordered to install an ignition interlock device on her car that will prevent it from starting if the driver has had alcohol.

She told officials that she voluntarily had one installed in October 2025 and showed the court a certificate of her participation in an outpatient treatment program for alcoholism at a recovery center.

This is after she completed and was discharged from an intensive treatment program in May 2025.

LaPlaca refused to resign as Mayor after she was arrested.

"Our community needs to be more kind and understanding about people trying to better themselves," she said in a 2025 email, "As we all know, there is a huge black eye and black cloud over our town right now."

RELATED COVERAGE: Mayor Drove Intoxicated With Child In Burlington Co.: Court Docs

Lumberton's Township Committee elects one of its members as mayor at the beginning of each calendar year, with LaPlaca's term ending on Dec. 31, 2025.

Patch reached out to Lumberton officials for an update on her status as a Township Committee member moving forward after Monday's sentencing and is yet to hear back.

"Today, my focus is clear: to be the mother my children deserve and to live in a way that reflects accountability, integrity, and healing," said LaPlaca.

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