Bruce Springsteen was arrested by DWI ‘after a shot of tequila’ while taking pictures with fans

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

The Boss, 71, was in the Gateway national recreation area at Sandy Hook when he stopped to take a picture with the fans and accepted a shot of tequila from one of them in the sight of police, Asbury Park Press says.

He was arrested by the police and accused of drunk driving, reckless driving and drinking alcohol in an enclosed area, according to the National Park Service.

The news of the arrest prompted Jeep to withdraw its recent Super Bowl ad, featuring the star talking about Re-United States of America on social media and television commercials.

As the arrest took place on federal territory, the case will be dealt with by the prosecutor in Newark and heard in a federal court.

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

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

‘Bruce stopped, took the pictures, then a fan offered him a drink, which he drank while sitting on his bicycle, which was still.

“The park police saw what happened and immediately stopped Springsteen as he walked away.”

National Park Service (NPS) officials confirmed to DailyMail.com on Wednesday that the Thunder Road singer was arrested at the Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, on November 14, 2020.

Springsteen was assaulted with three federal citations by the authorities: drunk driving, reckless driving and drinking alcohol in an enclosed area.

He was considered “cooperative in the whole process”, according to NPS spokeswoman Brenda Ling.

According to TMZ, this is Springsteen’s first known arrest for DWI and he is expected to appear in court in the ‘next few weeks’.

A DWI in a national park is a federal misdemeanor offense, with a maximum sentence of six months in prison and fines of up to $ 5,000. Parole can also be up to five years, according to Freeburg Law.

It was not clear why the Born in the USA singer’s arrest took nearly three months to surface, but it was only a few days after 96.4 million viewers watched the Springsteen star in a Jeep ad during the Super Bowl of Sunday.

The highly praised ad was the first time the rock veteran appeared in a Super Bowl commercial. In the two-minute clip, entitled The Middle, Springsteen asked for union in America.

“It is no secret that the medium has been a difficult place to reach lately, between red and blue, servant and citizen, freedom and fear,” said Springsteen, adding “we need the medium”.

‘Fear has never been the best of us,’ continues the boss. “We just need to remember that the soil on which we stand is common ground. Then we can get there. We can reach the top of the mountain, through the desert. . . and we will cross that division. ‘

The announcement then ends with a dedication: ‘To the United States of America.’

The company ‘paused’ the ad, which means that it now says ‘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 subject that we just read about and cannot prove’.

“It is also right that we pause our Big Game commercial until the real facts can be established.”

‘His message of community and unity is as relevant as ever. Just like the message that drinking and driving can never be forgiven. ‘

It is not clear whether Jeep was aware of Springsteen’s legal problems at the time of production.

Springsteen has notoriously avoided commercial appearances over his decades-long career.

However, his longtime manager Jon Landau revealed that his decision to participate in the Jeep ad was entirely “spontaneous” and came after years of courting the company.

Despite his first announcement, Landau told Rolling Stone that the hit creator had a strong hand in the commercial’s artistic direction, explaining that his script was “substantially revised by Springsteen”, adding that he also participated in editing the footage.

Landau said Springsteen “controlled every second of what you see and hear, which is why it seems so personal”.

Jeep did not reveal the fee Springsteen received for his appearance in the ad, nor did the company share how much it cost commercially.

However, it is likely to have cost tens of millions of dollars, with a 30-second airtime display during this year’s Super Bowl costing around $ 5.5 million. At that price, the Jeep’s 120-second addition would cost about $ 22 million.

Earlier this month, Springsteen also performed in the presence of President Joe Biden, giving a version of ‘Land of Hope and Dreams’ at 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 representatives have not yet returned a request from DailyMail.com to comment on his arrest.