Authorities dropped Bruce Springsteen’s allegations of drunk and reckless driving on Wednesday following an incident in November, admitting that the rocker’s alcohol levels were so low it was not worth the charge.
Springsteen pleaded guilty to a third count of consuming alcohol in a restricted area, the Gateway National Recreation Area. Popularly known as Sandy Hook, it is a park on a peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean overlooking New York’s skyscrapers.
Before a judge and more than 100 viewers in a video conference, Springsteen sat next to attorney Mitchell Ansell and admitted that he knew it was illegal to consume alcohol in the park.
“I had two little shots of tequila,” Springsteen said while answering questions from an assistant prosecutor. The case went to federal court because the part is considered federal property.
Justice Anthony Mautone fined Springsteen $ 500 for the violation plus $ 40 in court costs.
“I think I can afford that right away, Your Honor,” Springsteen said to Mautone.
In a written statement, Ansell said Springsteen was “pleased with the outcome” of the hearing.
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According to a document on the likely cause written by police at the time of the incident, Springsteen told a police officer that he was in the previous 20 minutes. But he did not want to take a preliminary breathalyzer before being arrested. Mautone said on Wednesday that preliminary tests are not a requirement and are not admissible in court.
When he got a breath test at the ranger station, Springsteen’s blood alcohol was 0.02, a quarter of the legal limit in New Jersey, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Police wrote that he saw Springsteen take a shot of tequila and then get on his bike. The officer wrote that the rocker “smelled strongly of alcohol” on November 14, “and had watery eyes,” and that there was a bottle of Patron Tequila that was “completely empty.”
The report described Springsteen as “visibly rocking back and forth” during a field sobriety test and said he declined to take an initial breathalyzer.
After news of the arrest, Jeep stopped a Super Bowl commercial that featured Springsteen in Kansas urging people to find harmony. Jeep said it would put the ad on hold “until the real facts are established.”
Springsteen performed as part of President Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony on January 20 with ‘Land of Hope and Dreams’ for the Lincoln Memorial.