Bruce Springsteen busted for DWI ‘after one shot of tequila’ while taking pictures with fans
Bruce Springsteen refused a breath test and ‘strongly smelt of alcohol’ when he was arrested in November for DWI, a New Jersey police report says – despite the signer’s blood alcohol level later being found to be a quarter of the legal limit.
The Boss, 71, was in the Gateway National Recreation Area on Sandy Hook back on November 14 when he was arrested for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and drinking in a closed area.
The incident reportedly unfolded after the Thunder Road singer pulled over to take a picture with fans and accepted a tequila shot from one of them in full view of watching police.
Statements of probable cause obtained by Fox News have now revealed that Springsteen allegedly refused to take a preliminary breath test when first approached by a park ranger on site.
‘Springsteen refused to take a preliminary breath test (PBT), despite signs of intoxication namely after testing his gaze and walk and turn tests,’ park ranker R. L. Hayes wrote in the report.
Hayes further claimed that the singer ‘smelt strongly of alcohol’, had ‘glassy eyes’, and was ‘visibly swaying’ back and forth.
Bruce Springsteen was busted for DWI and reckless driving in his home state of New Jersey late last year, authorities have now revealed. The arrest allegedly occurred in Sandy Hook when the rock veteran pulled over to take a picture with fans, accepted a tequila shot offered by one of them and took it in full view of police, TMZ reported, citing ‘a music industry insider’. Pictured: Springsteen in a recent Super Bowl ad for Jeep
The ranger wrote that he had witnessed Springsteen ‘consume a shot of Patron tequila’ before getting on his motorcycle to ‘start the engine’.
Hayes said he then informed the New Jersey-native that drinking on Sandy Hook inside Gateway is ‘prohibited’.
‘The Patron bottle that the shot was poured out of was completely empty (750ml),’ the ranger continues, as reported by Fox. ‘I asked Springsteen if he was leaving and he confirmed that he was going to drive out of the park.’
Hayes further claimed that Springsteen told him that he had ‘two shots of tequila in the last 20 minutes’.
The ranger also said he ‘observed four out of six clues on the horizontal gaze nystagmus test.’
‘[Springsteen] was visibly swaying back and forth while I observed his eyes,’ Hayes wrote.
‘I observed five out of eight clues on the walk and turn test. Springsteen took 45 total steps during the walk and turn instead of the instructed 19. [He] refused to provide a sample on the preliminary breath test.’
Because the arrest took place on federal land, the case will be handled by the US Attorney’s Office in Newark and heard in a federal court.
According to Hayes’ report, Springsteen was detained near the lighthouse in the park.
The news of the arrest sparked Jeep to pull its recent Super Bowl ad featuring the star talking about the Re-United States of America from social media and television spots.
The arrest took place at the beach-front Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, New Jersey (seen above)
Officials with the National Park Service (NPS) confirmed to DailyMail.com on Wednesday that the Thunder Road singer was arrested at Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, on November 14, 2020.
Springsteen was slapped with three federal citations by authorities: driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area.
He was said to be ‘cooperative throughout the process’, according to NPS spokesperson Brenda Ling.
According to TMZ, this is Springsteen’s first known arrest for DWI and he is due to appear in court in the ‘next few weeks’.
A DWI in a national park is a misdemeanor federal offense, carrying a maximum sentence of six months in jail and fines of up to $5,000. Probation can also be up to five years, according to Freeburg Law.
A DWI in a national park is a misdemeanor federal offense, carrying a maximum sentence of six months in jail and fines of up to $5,000. Probation can also be up to five years, according to Freeburg Law
It was not immediately clear why the Born in the USA singer’s arrest took almost three months to come to light but it did so just days after 96.4million viewers watched Springsteen star in an ad for Jeep during Sunday’s Super Bowl.
The much-hyped ad was the first time the rock veteran has appeared in a Super Bowl commercial. In the two-minute clip, titled The Middle, Springsteen urged unity in America.
‘It’s no secret the middle has been a hard place to get to lately, between red and blue, servant and citizen, freedom and fear,’ Springsteen intones, adding ‘we need the middle.’
‘Fear has never been the best of who we are,’ the Boss continues. ‘We just have to remember the very soil we stand on is common ground. So we can get there. We can make it to the mountaintop, through the desert . . . and we will cross this divide.’
The ad then ends with a dedication: ‘To the ReUnited States of America.’
The company has ‘paused’ the ad, meaning it now reads ‘Video unavailable’ ‘This video is private’ on YouTube.
A DWI in a national park is a misdemeanor federal offense, carrying a maximum sentence of six months in jail and fines of up to $5,000. Probation can also be up to five years, according to Freeburg Law . Pictured: Springsteen on another motorcycle he auctioned off for charity in 2008
The video has also been removed from Jeep’s Twitter but is still visible on Springsteen’s Instagram account.
In a statement, Jeep said: it ‘would be inappropriate for us to comment on the details of a matter we have only read about and we cannot substantiate.’
‘It’s also right that we pause our Big Game commercial until the actual facts can be established.’
‘Its message of community and unity is as relevant as ever. As is the message that drinking and driving can never be condoned.’
It was not immediately clear why the Born in the USA singer’s arrest took almost three months to come to light but it did so just days after 96.4million viewers watched Springsteen star in an ad for Jeep during Sunday’s Super Bowl. Pictured: Springsteen chugs back a fan’s half finished beer during a concert in Philadelphia, in 2012
It is unclear whether Jeep were aware of Springsteen’s legal woes at the time of production.
Springsteen has famously shunned appearances in commercials over the course of his decades-long career.
However, his longtime manager, Jon Landau, revealed the decision for him to take part in Jeep’s ad was entirely ‘spontaneous’ and came after years of the company courting him.
Although his first ad, Landau told Rolling Stone the hit-maker had a heavy hand in the commercial’s artistic direction, explaining its script was ‘substantially revised by Springsteen’, adding that he also participated in the edit of the footage.
Landau said Springsteen ‘controlled every second of what you see and hear, and that’s why it feels so personal.’
Earlier this month, Springsteen also performed at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, giving a rendition of ‘Land of Hope and Dreams’ at the Lincoln Memorial
Jeep has not disclosed what fee Springsteen was paid for his appearance in the ad, nor has the company shared how much the commercial cost to make.
However, it’s likely to have cost tens of millions of dollars, with a 30-second spot of airtime during this year’s Super Bowl costing around $5.5million. At that price, Jeep’s 120-second add would have cost around $22million.
Earlier this month, Springsteen also performed at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, giving a rendition of ‘Land of Hope and Dreams’ at the Lincoln Memorial.
Springsteen opened the evening’s Celebrating America event, which was hosted by Tom Hanks.
The Dancing in the Dark singer lives in New Jersey – close to where he grew up – with his wife, Patti Scialfa, whom he married in 1991.
Springsteen’s reps have not yet returned a DailyMail.com request for comment on his arrest.
