Bruce Springsteen busted for DWI ‘after one shot of tequila’ while taking pictures with fans

Bruce Springsteen’s blood-alcohol level was 0.02 – a quarter of New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08 – when he was arrested in November for DWI – raising questions about why he was charged.

The Boss, 71, was in the Gateway National Recreation Area on Sandy Hook when he pulled over to take a picture with fans and accepted a tequila shot from one of them in full view of watching police, claims the Asbury Park Press.

He was arrested by the cops and charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area, according to the National Park Service.

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. 

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. 

The website for the Gateway National Recreation Area says that alcoholic beverages at Sandy Hook are prohibited. It is not known if the police arrested the person who gave Springsteen the drink before his arrest.  

The 71-year-old had been riding his motorcycle on the peninsula on November 14 when he ‘was spotted by fans who asked him to pull over and take some pictures,’ a ‘source close to Springsteen’ told TMZ. 

‘Bruce stopped, took the pictures, then a fan offered him a shot of liquor, which he took, while sitting on his bike, which was stationary.

‘Park Police saw what happened and they immediately pulled Springsteen over as he drove away.’

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. 

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.

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 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.’ 

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.