Mayor Arrested for DWI at Almost 4 TIMES LEGAL LIMIT After Driving her Son Home

Future Traffic Stop

Around 5:26 PM on March 17, 2025, officers with the Lumberton Township Police Department received a call about a BMW that was being driven erratically on Route 38. A witness captured a video of the driver swerving across lanes and nearly striking a utility pole. The officers tracked the vehicle back to the residence of Gina LaPlaca, the Mayor of Lumberton Township.

Patrolman Pascal, Patrolman Rodriguez, and Sergeant Solovey arrived at her residence as she was helping her son out of the car. She told the officers that she was bringing her son home from school. As they were speaking with her, they immediately observed indicators of impairment and noticed that her mirror was damaged on the passenger side. Based on their suspicion of impairment, Gina was asked to perform field sobriety exercises.

The first field sobriety was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Gina failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, turned improperly, and took and incorrect number of steps. The last exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Gina failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down before the test was complete.

Based on the witness accounts of her driving erratically, her indicators of impairment, and her inability to satisfactorily complete the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman Pascal placed Gina under arrest for driving under the influence. A search of her vehicle incident to arrest yielded an open container with an alcoholic beverage. Her vehicle was impounded for a 12-hour hold according to John’s Law. Patrolman Pascal transported Gina to the Lumberton Township Police Department for further processing.

At the station, Gina was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators at the station, and she agreed to submit breath samples. As she was being processed, she asked the officers to call Chief Anthony Nippins multiple times. Sergeant Christy Saulle administered the Alcotest machine. Gina’s Alcotest results indicated a BAC level of 0.30%, which was almost 4 times the legal limit of 0.08%. Based on her level of impairment, Gina was transported to the hospital for further evaluation. She was eventually released to her husband pending her court appearance after officers responded to the residence and he signed the Potential Liability Warning from on Gina’s behalf.

Patrolman Pascal issued Gina the following traffic citations:

1) Operating under the influence (39:4-50)

2) Reckless Driving (39:4-96)

3) Careless Driving (39:4-97)

4) Traffic on marked lanes (39:4-88)

5) Open container (39:4-51B)

6) Driving with an expired license (39:3-10A)

Gina was also criminally charged with endangering a child (2C:24-4A(2)) and cruelty and neglect of children (9:6-3). As of March 28, 2025, her case is still pending in court.

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