Dem NJ mayor charged with DUI, endangering child seen demanding officers call police chief on bodycam footage

According to video of the arrest, Democrat Mayor Gina LaPlaca was seen stumbling and was not able to pass a sobriety test when she pulled into her driveway, to then be greeted by police.

The footage shows officers arriving at LaPlaca’s driveway around 5:40 pm on March 17 following a 911 call from a concerned resident who reported her erratic driving. The Democratic mayor had just picked up her son from daycare when officers approached.

She was also seen on video taking her small child out of the car. As LaPlaca lifted her child from the car seat, an officer asked if she was okay.

“Yes, I am,” she responded before immediately losing her balance and stumbling into the vehicle.

When questioned about her damaged side-view mirror, LaPlace told the officers it was damaged and she had hit something, then told officers “I don’t know.”

In response to her behavior, the officers conducted a field sobriety test, during which LaPlaca struggled to stand on one leg. She was later seen crying as officers placed her in handcuffs. A search of her vehicle uncovered a water bottle filled with alcohol and a small liquor bottle.

Other footage obtained by Fox News showed LaPlaca in a holding cell, where she was sobbing, but at the same time, was demanding for officers to talk to the township's Chief of Police Anthony Nippins. At the time, she consented to taking a breathalyzer test.

In another video, the Democrat mayor was seen lying down on a bench at the police station, and demanded that she “go home and see my son.” She was later released and issued a summons to appear in court on April 28.

LaPlaca’s husband, Jason Carty, a political activist and the former executive director of the New Jersey Brewers Guild, posted about the arrest. According to NBC Philadelphia, Carty revealed on social media that LaPlaca has struggled with addiction.