You guys, this Bruce Springsteen-DUI story just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Initially, the story came out just after the Super Bowl, where Bruce did a commercial for Jeep. When the news about Bruce’s drunk driving arrest came out, Jeep pulled the ad. But then we learned that the arrest happened in November – and no one breathed a word of it until now, bizarrely – and that the arrest was for a negligible blood-alcohol level of .02, a quarter of the .08 blood alcohol level which would have actually made this a legit driving-under-the-influence charge. We also learned that Springsteen was on a motorcycle, pulled over to take some photos with some fans, and they offered him a shot. All of that happened in front a cop, who then pulled Springsteen over, despite “drinking alcohol in front of a cop” not being against the law either. So what’s the truth? Well, there are even more versions coming out.
Bruce Springsteen was glassy-eyed, swaying and reeked like booze when he was cited for a DWI … at least according to cops.
According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, an officer watched Bruce take a shot of Patron Tequila, hop on his motorcycle and start the engine back on November 14. The officer says he informed Bruce drinking was prohibited in that area of Sandy Hook, NJ … and observed the 750 ml bottle of Patron was empty.
Springsteen allegedly told the cop he was about to ride out of the park — Gateway National Recreation Area — even though he admitting having 2 shots of tequila in the last 20 minutes.
The officer says Bruce smelled strongly of alcohol and his eyes were glassy, so he put the Boss through a field sobriety test, during which he was swaying, and took 45 steps when he was only asked to take 18. He allegedly refused to submit to a breath test.
TMZ broke the story … the rock icon was cited for DWI, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area. There have been reports claiming Springsteen’s BAC was only .02, far below the legal limit, however cops can bust you for DWI based on other factors … such as field sobriety testing or observing erratic driving.
When I hop off a motorcycle, I’m going to sway a little bit too. Hell, I sometimes sway a little bit if I get out of my car too fast. If he blew a .02, that means that he’s not drunk. Even though it’s sounding more and more like Bruce was caught up in a speed trap or something like that and the cops just didn’t want to back down once they realized who he was. A source close to Springsteen told CNN: “When this is all resolved, I think, people are gonna have some serious doubts about the seriousness of this, especially when the actual details of this are revealed, including the blood alcohol level.” Yeah, I agree. What could have been a slap on the wrist for violating some law about drinking in a park – ??? – turned into a huge thing which will end up going nowhere. It’s just a huge waste of time.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
As a defense attorney who does a lot a DUI cases, this is unfortunately very common. Many law enforcement officers make up their mind what is happening and write their reports totally slanted to that position. Very rarely does any DUI report not include the usual allegations of bloodshot/glassy eyes, slurred speech and balance issues. That’s why video evidence is so important to see objectively what actually transpired. Patrol car video and body cams are so important!!
This; any lawyer that has attended a dram shop law CLE with toxicologists has been witness to reading a police report with the descriptions like Springsteen above and ten seen a video of a totally sober person who is nervous. Like the whole “he walked 45 steps” and not the 18 he was asked? He was probably waiting for the cops to stop him. Has you ever tried counting backwards or saying the alphabet backwards or skipping letters? That’s the type of nonsense police officers use for field sobriety tests.
I was on a jury for a DUI case and the cops totally lied to us.
The 2 cops said the man was fall down drunk, slurring, stumbling, glassy-eyed. He was examined by a doctor at a hospital within 30 minutes, and the doctor’s report said his gait was normal, eyes normal, speech normal, etc.
The doctor report wasn’t brought up during the trial, but was given to us in the jury room. So many on the jury wanted to convict the man based on the testimony from 2 officers. When we discovered we had the medical report and it contradicted everything they said, he was acquitted.
ACAB
They literally can and literally will say anything they can in a police report and we’re all expected to treat it as gospel.
Yep, “supported” by unscrupulous Ph.D.s willing to claim everything is a “science” because it was easier to get funding for the research, and that there is a method to this madness. Anything other than DNA testing regarding forensic “science” is no more founded in science than shamans and head examination.
This is such a crock!
I live in NJ and the conservative/Trump cult members here really lost their minds when that Jeep commercial came out on Super Bowl Sunday. A lot of the right-leaning and especially Trump supporting people in this state have a hard on for Springsteen and call him hypocritical because in their eyes, he’s the “every man” so he should share their political views.
I fully believe this is a Trump supporting cop who has an issue with Springsteen for that song he wrote about the shooting of Amadou Diallo, “American Skin (41 Shots).”
I brought up that song yesterday! I think people assume that cops are on Springsteen’s side because he does have that blue collar vibe, even now, and has always supported blue collar workers, but the timing of this and the weakness of the charges really makes it seem like the cop was just trying to get him because he could.
And if it was November, right around the election, I can believe that.
It definitely sounds like they were trying to find a reason to arrest him, and blew this way out of proportion. Definitely not a great idea to drink anything and drive, especially a motorcycle, but he was well under the limit.
This arrest did happen in November, it’s only just become a story now in February though. So it did happen around election time.
I believe that “just getting him because he could” is absolutely part of it, but as a person who lives in the state, I can attest that there are people, especially “down the shore” where this happened, who hate Springsteen’s guts for political reasons. We have a local state radio station that leans to the right and I occasionally tune in, though I don’t know why because all it does is piss me off, but they often have callers who bash Springsteen over politics. It’s a really common thing here. He’s considered a “traitor” by a lot of working class conservative people here in NJ because they can’t get over the fact that he doesn’t share their political views. They refer to him as an “out of touch elitist.”
There are a lot of houses throughout the Jersey Shore that have Trump 2024 flags waving, and some of the more obnoxious New Jerseyans are flying American flags upside down around the shore area right now because they believe the election was stolen. Just about every house that has a Trump flag flying also has a “blue lives matter” flag underneath it.
So yeah, I definitely agree that getting him because he could is part of it, but this arrest occurred in November and in a part of the state that is not only heavily conservative, but heavily into Trump.
So you believe these were… Trumped up charges? 😎
Tip of the hat, I see what you did there. 😂
Those goddamn lying cops better stop besmirching the name of my Boss. That man is perfect.
I think Jeep pulling the ad over this sketchy nonsense is so dumb. They are a bunch of cowards. This sounds like a bunch of power hungry cops trying to stick it to a celebrity.
It PAINS me to say this, especially after reading all the comments above about the hateful local Tr*** MAGAts worshiping their cult leader, still saying the election was stolen, flying our flag upside down, bashing Bruce because he won’t join in their hate, as well as the comments demonstrating how the police lie and abuse their power. It’s sickening. And the whole “expose” coming out right after his Jeep ad was released is super shady.
But I hate to say, IF details of this story are true, he was kind of asking for it. He admitted to doing 2 shots of Patron in 20 minutes and then getting on his bike? If so, bad idea, not cool. If he stopped to take pictures with fans [which is awesome and definitely Boss-like] and someone offered him a shot, just say thanks, man, but I’m driving. Seriously.
And refusing to take a breathalyzer? I’m not from NJ, but in my state they’ll immediately arrest you and take your license away for the refusal. You agree to be tested when you’re given your license. And if he did refuse the breathalyzer, how did they get the BAC? Was it hours later? Maybe accounting for the below legal limits reading, after his arrest?
I love the Boss! and do not trust the police!! But if he did drink and drive? I hope he will admit to the parts of the story that are true [if any]!, pay his damn fine and get someone else to drive while his license is revoked like the rest of the peasants, thank the Lord nobody was hurt, and not do it again.
I co-sign this. First he took one shot, now he took two in 20 min? And then got on a bike? And failed the field sobriety and refused the BAC? Sounds like he would have gotten a DWI in most states and was in very sketchy condition to be driving.
This is why police should wear body cams so we know they’re not making all this ish up
I cannot defend someone who drank and drove. I am a Democrat, and hate MAGA and everything is stands for. But there is no defense for taking a shot and getting on a motorcycle or in any vehicle. And to read the police report that now says he reeked of booze, was swaying, didn’t follow instructions, and refused a breathalyzer, and still defend him… Maybe it’s because I am sober for decades but…I am acutely aware of how even a little booze can impair oneself, and I honestly really don’t think any one without a problem would take a shot of booze or 2 and then get on a motorcycle and not expect to be impaired. If this had been Kidd Rock and the same circumstance–would we defend him? I sincerely doubt it. It was very poor judgement on his part and he’s lucky he was stopped before he hurt someone.
‘ and took 45 steps when he was only asked to take 18. ’
Why does this make me LOL
😂
right like you’d think 45 was their favorite number and they’d like that! jk
I’d like to see body cam video of the arrest to see if they made all this up, honestly