Sag Harbor Police released a video of pop artist Justin Timberlake failing DUI sobriety tests in New York. The 2024 video surfaced on Friday after the village and his lawyers agreed to allow a redacted version of the footage to be released.
The incident occurred in June 2024, when Timberlake had been following his friends home in the former whaling village, one of the affluent beach towns of the Hamptons, 100 miles east of New York City. The original footage is eight hours long and includes the first police stop.
According to Sag Harbor Police, Timberlake ran a stop sign in the village center, crossed his lane, and smelled of alcohol. He told the officers that he had consumed one martini. The officer who stopped him, not knowing that he was Justin Timberlake, asked him why he was in town.
The artist said, “I’m on a world tour.” The officer responded, “Doing what?”
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Timberlake said, “Hard to explain.”
He added: “World tour. I’m Justin Timberlake.”
Justin Timberlake Faces Arrest
The officer sounded like he did not believe him. He asked, “You are Justin Timberlake? Do you have a license with you?”
Police officers then asked Timberlake to perform several tests on the spot, such as walking heel-to-toe in a straight line on the road and lifting one leg. The video shows Timberlake struggling to understand what was being said to him, and at times, even apologizing to officers. He said at one point, “I’m a little nervous.”
Timberlake questioned the officers in the police car about the reason for his arrest. At the police station, he was told that he was going to spend the night there, to which he replied:
“I’m going to be here all night? You guys are wild, man.”
Earlier, Timberlake’s lawyers took legal measures to block the release of the footage, which is now circulating on the internet. Their point was that it would invade his privacy by revealing “intimate, highly personal, and sensitive details.”
In addition, the lawyers claimed that the footage would do “severe and irreparable harm” to his image, leading him to potentially face “public ridicule and harassment.”
However, on Friday, the village and the lawyers stated that the video “does not constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” agreeing to its release.
The Associated Press uploaded the video on YouTube, as it was one of many media outlets that had requested a release of the video.
Timberlake was found guilty of impaired driving. He was sentenced to 25 hours of community service, a 90-day suspension of his license, and a fine of $500.
He agreed to give a public safety announcement against the dangers of drunk driving in exchange for his initial misdemeanor charge being changed to a noncriminal traffic violation.
