When Bruce Springsteen was arrested in November on suspicion of drink-driving in a New Jersey national park, an officer said the rock icon failed two sobriety tests and admitted to drinking two shots of tequila.
Those details are set out in a probable cause statement filed in federal court that sheds new light on Springsteen’s Nov. 14 arrest in Gateway National Recreation Area, otherwise known as Sandy Hook.
Springsteen and his lawyers have not commented on the incident.
According to the statement, the officer saw Springsteen take a shot of tequila before getting on his motorcycle and starting the engine. The officer told Springsteen that alcohol was banned at Sandy Hook, then noted that a 750 milliliter Patron bottle was empty, the statement said. It is unclear how full the bottle was when he started to drink from it.
Springsteen said he had taken two shots of tequila in the past 20 minutes and planned to drive out of the park, the officer reported.
“Springsteen smelled strongly of alcohol coming from his person and had glassy eyes,” the officer said.
According to the statement, he indicated four out of six indications of intoxication in an initial test and five of eight in the walk-and-turn test.
The officer said Springsteen swung back and forth as the officer checked his eyes and took 45 steps during the walk test instead of the 18 he had to take.
Springsteen declined to provide a sample in the preliminary breath test, the statement said. By the time he took one, Springsteen was blowing a .02, a quarter of the legal limit in New Jersey, according to The New York Times, citing two people close to Springsteen. It is not clear when he took the test.
The Asbury Park Press first reported Springsteen’s alcohol levels. The newspaper also said fans offered him the tequila after taking photos with them.
According to National Park Service spokeswoman Brenda Ling, Springsteen is accused of drunk driving, reckless driving and drinking in a closed area in connection with the incident.
Ling said Springsteen, the famous New Jersey resident, cooperated throughout the process.
News of the arrest came days after the debut of Springsteen’s first Super Bowl commercial. In the two-minute ad for Jeep, Springsteen says the country will see unity again and says “there is hope for the road ahead”.
A spokesperson for the Jeep brand said the Super Bowl commercial has been put on hold.
Fans have long praised the 71-year-old Springsteen for his healthy lifestyle.
In his 2016 autobiography Born to Run, Springsteen said he avoided drugs and didn’t try alcohol until age 22, in part because he saw how drinking affected his father.
