SANDY HOOK, N.J. – Update 12:12 p.m. ET Feb. 24: Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen will pay a $540 fine to settle legal issues stemming from a November 2020 run-in with Jersey Shore authorities in the Gateway National Recreation Area.
Springsteen, 71, was charged on Nov. 14 with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and use of alcohol in a closed area, all Class B misdemeanors.
The government on Wednesday dropped both the drunken driving and reckless driving charges against the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, admitting Springsteen’s blood-alcohol level was negligible enough to not warrant charges, the Asbury Park Press reported.
Springsteen did, however, plead guilty via video conference to the lesser use of alcohol in a closed area charge and agreed to pay the imposed $540 fine immediately, the outlet reported.
Original report: Rock legend Bruce Springsteen was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and related charges at a New Jersey national park last fall, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
According to NJ.com, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was cited Nov. 14, 2020, for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area at Sandy Hook, a portion of the Jersey Shore located in the Gateway National Recreation Area.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Gateway spokesperson Brenda Ling said Springsteen, 71, was “cooperative throughout the process.”
The arrest was first reported by TMZ.
News of the arrest comes days after the debut of Springsteen’s first Super Bowl commercial, a two-minute Jeep spot in which he urges unity, saying, “There’s hope on the road ahead.”
According to his 2016 autobiography, “Born to Run,” Springsteen said he avoided drugs and was 22 before he even tried alcohol, in part, because he saw how drinking affected his father, NBC News reported.
“The terrifying, all-engulfing presence he became when he drank convinced me to never go there. He lost who he was,” Springsteen wrote.
