Calls for Lumberton mayor to resign after she allegedly drove under influence

LUMBERTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- Calls are growing for the mayor of Lumberton, New Jersey, to resign after she was charged this week with driving under the influence, driving recklessly and endangering a child.

(The video in the player above is from previous coverage.)

Residents took time during public comment Thursday night to ask Mayor Gina LaPlaca to step down.

"She is compromising the position of our law enforcement... I'm asking for a motion that you deem her noncompetent and remove her from town council," one resident told the committee.

READ MORE: Mayor of Lumberton, NJ arrested and charged with DUI

"I'm asking you guys to do the right thing if she's not going to do the right thing, and she needs to resign," another resident said. "If she is definitely truly saying she needs to get the help that she needs, she needs to be the best version of herself before she can be a mayor."

One Lumberton Township committee member, Terrance Benson, also called on LaPlaca to step down. "My personal opinion is for the mayor to step down and to heal herself," he said.

According to charging documents, video captured on Monday reportedly shows a driver unable to stay in their lane and nearly hitting a utility pole.

Police later located that vehicle at the Lumberton home of Mayor LaPlaca around 6:00 p.m., where she allegedly admitted to officers that she had been drinking, and had recently picked up her two-year-old from day care.

Court documents also say an open container of alcohol was found in the car.

LaPlaca's husband, Jason Carty, told Action News earlier this week she's now seeking treatment for addiction.

"Gina is someone who has struggled and is now getting that help that she needs. I ask that everyone keep her in their thoughts as she moves forward on her road to recovery," said Carty.

LaPlaca was elected to township committee in 2020 and re-elected in 2023.

She recently left her position as business administrator for Neptune Township for political reasons, according to her husband.

Action News reached out to LaPlaca for comment following Thursday night's meeting, but we have not heard back.

LaPlaca is due to appear in court on April 28.