A New Jersey mayor was filmed stumbling and losing her balance as she was arrested and accused of drunk driving with her young son in the car on St. Patrick’s Day, new police body camera footage showed.
Mayor Gina LaPlaca was arrested March 17 by police officers responding to a call about erratic driving, according to Lumberton Township Police.
Newly released police video obtained by NBC Philadelphia showed officers arrive at her home around 5:40 p.m. She was seen taking her son, who she had picked up from daycare, out of his car seat.
In the footage, she’s seen losing her balance at least twice. The mirror on the passenger side of her vehicle was severely damaged.
An officer was heard telling her “we got lots of calls where we had multiple claims that you ran a red light, you were swerving.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” LaPlaca replied.
Officers had her perform a field sobriety test and she was seen losing her balance when asked to balance on one leg. She was taken into custody for driving under the influence.
Inside the vehicle, police found a water bottle with alcohol and a small liquor bottle.
Once at the police station an officer told her her blood alcohol level was so high she had to go to the hospital.
Continue reading
Discussion about this post