Indictment accuses South Jersey mayor of endangering a child

A traffic incident has led to an indictment against Lumberton Mayor Gina LaPlaca.

The 46-year-old LaPlaca was charged earlier this year with drunk driving and other offenses after a motorist reported her vehicle was swerving on a road.

LaPlaca's toddler was in the car at the time, leading to recent indictments that allege endangering the welfare of a child and child abuse, said the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office."The charges stem from a March 2025 investigation that began after another motorist contacted police to report that LaPlaca’s vehicle was swerving across the centerline, nearly striking oncoming vehicles," the prosecutor's office said in a Dec. 4 statement.