### Mayor Gina LaPlaca’s Husband Responds After DUI Arrest: ‘Leave Her Alone’
*April 7, 2025, 1:15 PM PDT* — Jason Carty, husband of Lumberton Township Mayor Gina LaPlaca, has issued an emotional plea to the public following his wife’s March 17 arrest for allegedly driving under the influence with their toddler in the car. In a statement to *Fox News* on Monday, Carty defended the embattled Democratic mayor, urging critics to back off as she seeks treatment for addiction. “Leave her alone,” he said, emphasizing that LaPlaca, 45, is on a path to recovery after entering a 30-day inpatient facility—a move he hopes will shift focus from her legal woes to her personal healing.
The arrest, captured in widely circulated police bodycam footage, unfolded on St. Patrick’s Day when officers confronted LaPlaca outside her Lumberton, New Jersey, home. Reports indicate a witness alerted police to her erratic driving—swerving, running a red light, and nearly hitting a utility pole—prompting a response as she arrived with her 2-year-old son. The footage shows LaPlaca stumbling during a field sobriety test, admitting to drinking “a little bit of vodka” before picking up her child from daycare. Sources told *FOX 29 Philadelphia* her blood alcohol content hit 0.30—nearly four times the legal limit of 0.08—leading to charges of DUI, child endangerment, reckless driving, and driving with an expired license.
#### A Community Divided
The incident has ignited a firestorm in Lumberton, a township of 13,000 some 25 miles east of Philadelphia. On April 3, the township committee unanimously censured LaPlaca, citing three ethics violations: driving drunk, endangering her toddler, and allegedly requesting the police chief during her arrest—a claim fueling calls for her resignation. Governor Phil Murphy joined the chorus on April 2, suggesting she “put aside her public duties” until she recovers, a stance echoed by residents at heated committee meetings. “I’m embarrassed to live here,” Michael McCann told *FOX 29*, reflecting a sentiment driving a grassroots recall effort.
Carty, a firefighter and former New Jersey Brewers Guild executive, pushed back in a *Daily Mail* interview, downplaying the scandal’s scope. “It’s not like she’s the mayor of some big city,” he said—a 10-word retort that’s drawn both sympathy and scorn online. Posts on X highlight the divide: some laud his loyalty, with one user writing, “He’s standing by her—respect,” while others slam it as tone-deaf, noting, “Small town or not, she endangered a kid.” Carty’s broader appeal framed LaPlaca’s struggle as a human one: “Millions of Americans battle addiction and never get help. She’s getting it now.”
#### Legal and Political Fallout
LaPlaca, whose term ends in December, faces a court date on April 28, with no indication she’ll step down despite the censure and Murphy’s nudge. The township committee can’t force her out—New Jersey law leaves that to voters or judicial action—leaving her fate uncertain as she remains absent from public duties. Her attorney has stayed silent, but the April 6 *Inquirer* reported she’s “in an inpatient facility,” a detail Carty confirmed, pleading for calm amid what he called “a crushing media cycle that just won’t end.”
The arrest caps a turbulent month for LaPlaca, who resigned as Neptune Township’s business administrator days before the incident and was escorted from a Mount Holly fire commissioners meeting on March 5 after a public spat. A 2023 assault charge against her husband, later dropped when he took responsibility, adds to the family’s rocky narrative. As Trump’s tariffs tank markets and global headlines churn, Lumberton’s saga offers a local lens on accountability and redemption—leaving LaPlaca’s future as mayor, and mother, hanging in the balance. For now, Carty’s cry of “leave her alone” battles a community’s demand for answers.
