Bruce Springsteen Reportedly Drank '2 Shots of Tequila' 20 Minutes Before DWI Arrest

Bruce Springsteen admitted to drinking two shots of tequila before police arrested him for DWI in [...]

By Libby Birk

Bruce Springsteen admitted to drinking two shots of tequila before police arrested him for DWI in November. Court documents are shedding new light on the incident that occurred at a national park in New Jersey, with an officer saying at the time that the "Thunder Road" singer failed two sobriety tests and admitted to drinking two shots. Those details are outlined in a probable cause statement filed in federal court. Springsteen and his attorneys have not commented on the arrest.

The officer saw Springsteen take one shot of tequila before getting on his motorcycle and starting the engine, according to the statement. The officer told Springsteen alcohol was prohibited at Gateway National Recreation Area — also known as Sandy Hook — and then noticed a 750-milliliter Patron bottle was empty. It's unclear how full the bottle was when he began drinking from it. Vulture reports that Springsteen told the arresting officer he had consumed "two shots of tequila in the last 20 minutes."

In an initial test, the officer indicated four out of six clues for intoxication, and five out of eight in the walk-and-turn test. Springsteen "smelled strongly of alcohol" and "had glassy eyes," the officer said, and he swayed back and forth. The officer also said Springsteen took 45 steps during the walking test instead of the 18 he was told to take.

He refused to provide a sample in the preliminary breath test, the statement said. While it's not clear when he eventually did take a breath test, he blew a .02, which is a quarter of the legal limit in New Jersey, The New York Times reports. The Asbury Park Press first reported Springsteen's blood alcohol level, and also reported that fans offered him the tequila after he took photos with him.

The news of Springsteen's charges came just days after he starred in a Super Bowl commercial for Jeep, although that ad has since been pulled. Although it initially debuted to massive success, the company said it would not condone drinking and driving. "It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the details of a matter we have only read about and we cannot substantiate," a spokesperson for Jeep said, per Rolling Stone. "But 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." The ad, which follows Springsteen as he travels through Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado with a unifying message to the nation, can no longer be viewed on YouTube.

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